Portrait of Jean-Baptiste Lully

Art Historical Context

This elegant etching and engraving titled *Portrait of Jean-Baptiste L*, captures the profile of illustrious French-Italian composer (163–1687) who opera and served as Louis XIV's court musician. Created in 1770—a century after Lully's heyday—by a collaborative team of master engravers including Charles Nicolas Cochin II and Augustin de-Aubin, with contributions from Gaspard Colignon François Joullain, represents the fourth state as cataloged by Bocher. Measuring just 7 13/16 × 5 9/16 inches, this intimate print from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings Prints collection exemplifies 18th-century French reproductive printmaking. Lully's legacy as the founder of French opera and tragédie en musique made him a cultural icon, and this posthumous portrait reflects enduring admiration during the Enlightenment era. Profile views, evoking ancient Roman coins and Renaissance medals, lent a classical dignity to such honors, ideal for dissemination through affordable prints. The etching and engraving techniques—etching for fluid lines, engraving for precise detail—allowed multiple impressions, making elite portraiture accessible to music lovers and collectors. Acquired via the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund in 1917, this work highlights printmaking's role in preserving historical figures, bridging music and visual art in a single, refined image. A testament to collaborative artistry, it invites visitors to appreciate Lully's profiled gaze as a window into Baroque splendor.

About the Artist

Augustin de Saint-Aubin|Charles Nicolas Cochin II|Gaspard Colignon|François Joullain|Augustin de Saint-Aubin · 1736–1807

Comment on works: Illustrator; Engraver