Touch

Art Historical Context

Created in Paris between 1635 and 1638, “Touch” is an etching by Abraham Bosse with Melchior Tavernier serving as publisher. Bosse was a leading French printmaker of the seventeenth century whose lively genre scenes captured the daily rituals of urban life. The medium of etching, with its capacity for crisp lines and delicate shading, allowed him to render intimate domestic spaces with remarkable clarity and wit. Likely part of a series devoted to the five senses, the print shows a bedroom scene populated by men and women gathered around beds. Such imagery playfully illustrated the sense of touch through physical proximity and tactile encounters, reflecting the period’s fascination with human experience and moral instruction. These affordable prints circulated widely, bringing both entertainment and gentle social commentary into middle-class homes. Today the sheet belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of drawings and prints. Its modest size and detailed observation continue to offer modern viewers a vivid glimpse of seventeenth-century French interiors and the enduring human impulse to explore the world through touch.

About the Artist

Abraham Bosse|Melchior Tavernier · 1602–1676

Abraham Bosse (1604–1676) was a French printmaker and theorist whose approximately 1,600 etchings provide an unparalleled visual record of 17th-century French life. Born to Huguenot parents in Tours, he trained in Paris under Melchior Tavernier and became a devoted follower of Jacques Callot's technical innovations. Bosse's meticulous etchings depicted subjects ranging from daily life and fashion ...