Frontispiece to Moliere's "L'Avare" (The Miser)
Medium
Etching and engraving; second state of three
Dimensions
sheet: 5 1/4 x 3 1/16 in. (13.4 x 7.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1932
Accession Number
32.35(254)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This 1732 etching and engraving served as the frontispiece for an English edition of Molière’s classic comedy *L’Avare* (*The Miser*), first staged in 1668. The small print, measuring just over five inches tall, introduces the play’s central themes of greed and human folly through figures of men and women drawn from its lively cast of characters. William Hogarth, known for his sharp satirical eye, contributed to the design, while John Vandergucht handled the engraving. Created as a book illustration rather than a standalone work, the print highlights the 18th-century practice of using detaile...
About the Artist
William Hogarth|John Vandergucht|Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Molière · 1697–1764
William Hogarth (1697-1764) was an English painter, printmaker, and pictorial satirist who became the first great English-born artist to attract admiration abroad. Born into poverty in London, the son of a failed schoolmaster who was imprisoned for debt, Hogarth's early experiences with the harsh realities of 18th-century urban life profoundly shaped his artistic vision. After apprenticing with si...