Répresentation Exacte du Grand Collier en Brillants des Srs. Boëhmer et Bassenge

Art Historical Context

In the opulent world of late 18th-century France *Répresentation Exacte Grand Collier en Brillants Srs. Boëhmer et Bassenge*ca. 1785) captures the dazzling splendor of a legendary diamond necklace crafted by the renowned Parisian jewelers Charles Auguste Böhmer and Bassenge. This large etching, measuring nearly 19 by 14 inches, showcases the necklace's intricate design with meticulous precision, highlighting its cascading brilliants and architectural elegance. Produced as a promotional print, it exemplifies the era's ornamental print tradition, blending jewelry craftsmanship with fine art techniques. Etched likely with contributions from Nicolas Antoine Taunay, a neoclassical painter known for detailed compositions, the work reflects the height of Ancien Régime luxury just before the French Revolution. The necklace itself became infamous in the 1785 "Affair of the Diamond Necklace," a scandal involving fraud, forgery, and Queen Marie Antoinette's tarnished reputation—though she was innocent. As a historical document in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints collection, this piece offers a window into the extravagance that symbolized royal excess, preserved through the Whittelsey Collection. Its significance lies in etching's ability to replicate jewel-like sparkle on paper, making elite ornamentation accessible while underscoring the cultural obsession with gems as status symbols. A true gem of printmaking history!

About the Artist

Paul Bassenge|Charles Auguste Böhmer|Böhmer et Bassenge|Nicolas Antoine Taunay (German|German|French|French) · 1742 |1730 |1700 |1755 –1812 |1794 |1800 |1830

German, Prenzlau 1742–1812 Paris|German, Saxony ca. 1735–1794 Stuttgart|French, active Paris, 18th century|French, Paris 1755–1830 Paris