Weduwe van Ephese

About this artwork

plaatrand: hoogte 378 mm (op plaatrand afgesneden) x breedte 280 mm (op plaatrand afgesneden)

Art Historical Context

**Weduwe van Ephese (The Widow of Ephesus)** Created by French engraver Louis Desplaces1682–1739) between 1692 and1739, *Weduwe van Ephese is a striking etching that captures a timeless tale from ancient Roman literature. The title refers to the Widow of Ephesus, a from Petronius' *Satyricon*, where mourning widow at her husband's tomb is famously distracted by a soldier's advances—often interpreted as a commentary on human frailty and hypocrisy. Desplaces, renowned for his reproductive prints, likely drew from Baroque paintings popular in 17th- and 18th-century Europe, infusing the scene w...

About the Artist

Louis Desplaces · 1682–1739

**Louis Desplaces (1682–1739)** was a prominent French engraver and skilled draughtsman, born and died in Paris. Active from 1702 to 1739, he trained in the school of Gérard Audran, the renowned engraver whose precise and supple burin technique profoundly influenced Desplaces's own style. This classical foundation positioned him as a masterful reproductive engraver, bridging the meticulous 17th-ce...