Education of the Virgin
Medium
etching and aquatint with burnishing printed in brown on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to platemark): 43.1 × 33.2 cm (16 15/16 × 13 1/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund
Accession Number
2018.91.23
Art Historical Context
This delicate print, created in 1766 by François-Philippe Charpentier after a design by François Boucher, captures the tender subject of the Education of the Virgin. Boucher, a leading figure of the French Rococo movement, was celebrated for his graceful figures and luminous compositions. Here, the young Virgin Mary is shown in a moment of quiet instruction, likely learning to read or sew under the guidance of her mother, Saint Anne—a theme popular in 18th-century devotional art for its emphasis on piety and domestic virtue. Charpentier’s masterful use of etching combined with aquatint and bu...