Marie-Térèse, Countess of Artois
Medium
Etching and Engraving
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 9 5/8 × 6 1/4 in. (24.5 × 15.8 cm) Mount: 11 1/8 in. × 8 1/8 in. (28.3 × 20.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953
Accession Number
53.600.2460
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate etching and engraving from 1778 captures Marie-Térèse, Countess of Artois, a classic profile portrait,oking the poised elegance of French aristocracy on the eve of the Revolution Created by a collaborative team—Jean Jacques Flipart, Marie Louise Adélaïde Boizot, and Simon Boizot—the showcases the era's refined printmaking techniques. Etching allowed for fluid, expressive lines, while engraving precise detailing, making high-quality reproductions accessible beyond oil paintings. The profile view, reminiscent of ancient Roman coins and medallions, was a fashionable choice in late 18th-century Europe, blending Rococo grace with emerging Neoclassical ideals. As a noblewoman (wife of the future Charles X of France), Marie-Térèse embodied the opulent world of the Ancien Régime, her image likely intended for collectors and admirers. Trimmed to 9⅝ 6¼ inches, this intimate sheet, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, highlights how prints democratized portraiture, preserving aristocratic likenesses for posterity. (198 words)
About the Artist
Jean Jacques Flipart|Marie Louise Adélaide Boizot|Louis Simon Boizot (French|French) · 1703 |1719 –1770 |1782
French, Paris 1703–1770 Paris|French, 1719–1782