La Vengeance du Philosophe Amoureux, plate 8 from "The Decameron"

Art Historical Context

This etching, titled *La Vengeance du Philosophe Amoureux* (The Revenge of the Amorous Philosopher), forms plate 8 in a 19th-century illustrated edition of Giovanni Boccaccio’s *The Decameron*. Created by Belgian printmaker Léopold Flameng in 1873, the work draws from Boccaccio’s celebrated 14th-century collection of tales, written amid the Black Death as a framework for stories shared by young Florentines sheltering in the countryside. Flameng’s contribution brings fresh visual life to these enduring narratives through the refined medium of etching. As a proof before letter—an early impression made prior to the addition of titles or text—the print highlights the artist’s meticulous technique and the subtle tonal gradations possible in etching. Flameng, active during a revival of interest in reproductive printmaking, captured the dramatic essence of Boccaccio’s story with careful line work that invites close viewing. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints as part of the Elisha Whittelsey Collection, this sheet preserves both literary heritage and 19th-century printmaking artistry for modern audiences. Its modest scale—roughly 8½ by 7⅜ inches—encourages intimate appreciation of the interplay between text and image that has long defined illustrated editions of the *Decameron*.

About the Artist

Giovanni Boccaccio|Léopold Flameng (Italian|French) · 1313 |1831 –1375 |1911

Italian, Paris 1313–1375 Certaldo, Tuscany|French (born Belgium), Brussels 1831–1911 Paris