The Lady of Monsoreau (La Dame de Monsoreau)
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
Image: 5 9/16 × 4 1/16 in. (14.2 × 10.3 cm) Sheet: 9 13/16 × 6 11/16 in. (25 × 17 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1933
Accession Number
33.104.2462
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
This engraving, titled *The Lady of Monsoreau*, was created by French artists Charles-Amédée Colin and Jules David between 1830 and 1873. The work captures a scene from Alexandre Dumas’s popular 1846 novel of the same name, a tale of intrigue set in the French Renaissance. As a print, it reflects the era’s growing demand for accessible literary illustrations that brought dramatic stories to a wider audience. Engraving was a favored medium in nineteenth-century France for its ability to produce fine, detailed lines that could be reproduced in books and periodicals. Colin and David’s collaboration exemplifies the period’s blend of literary inspiration and technical precision, with the image’s compact scale suited to book formats. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Drawings and Prints, this piece highlights how engravings helped shape cultural appreciation of Romantic literature. Acquired through the Harris Brisbane Dick Fund in 1933, it offers visitors a glimpse into the vibrant exchange between text and image during the 1800s.
About the Artist
Charles-Amédée Colin|Jules David (French|French) · 1808 |1808 –1873 |1892
French, Ain 1808–1873 Paris|French, Paris 1808–1892 Paris