Hoofd van vrouw

About this artwork

height 216 mm x width 165 mm

Art Historical Context

Gilles Demarteau the Elder (1722–1796), a pioneering French engraver, created *Hoofd van vrouw*Head of a Woman") between 1732 and 1776. This intimate portrait study measures a modest 216 mm high by 165 mm wide, capturing the delicate features of a woman's face in a technique known as crayon manner. Demarteau was a master of this innovative 18th-century printmaking method, which used roulettes and textured plates to mimic the soft, powdery strokes of chalk or pastel crayons, blurring the line between drawing and engraving. Crayon manner prints like this one were revolutionary during the Rococo...

About the Artist

Gilles Demarteau · 1729–1776

Gilles Demarteau the Elder, born on January 19, 1722, in Liège, began his career steeped in the craft of metalwork. The son of a gunsmith, he learned engraving and goldsmithing from his father before moving to Paris around 1748–1750 to join his brother, who worked as a goldsmith for the engraver De Lacollombe, renowned for firearm ornament designs. Demarteau trained in De Lacollombe's workshop as ...