Sheep, from a set of 16 plates
1664
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
plate: 4 11/16 x 5 13/16 in. (11.9 x 14.8 cm) sheet: 5 x 6 1/8 in. (12.7 x 15.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Phyllis Massar, 2011
Accession Number
2012.136.668.5
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold *Sheep, from a set of 16 plates*, a charming 1664 etching by Marcus de Bye, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department. Measuring a modest plate size of 4 11/16 x 5 13/16 inches (11.9 x 14.8 cm), this intimate print captures the gentle form of sheep with fine precision, inviting visitors to appreciate the everyday beauty of pastoral subjects. Etching, de Bye's chosen medium, was a revolutionary intaglio technique in the 17th century: artists drew through a wax ground on a metal plate, allowing acid to "bite" intricate lines for rich tonal depth and te...