The Painter
ca. 1642
Medium
Etching; first state of two
Dimensions
Sheet (trimmed): 10 1/8 × 12 15/16 in. (25.7 × 32.8 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951
Accession Number
51.501.2242
Tags
Art Historical Context
Step into the bustling world of 17th French art studios with *The Painter*, an exquisite etching created around 1642 by master printmaker Abraham Bosse after a design by Jean I Lebl. This first state of two—before any revisions—captures the raw vitality of the creative process, measuring about 10 by 13 inches on trimmed sheet. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, it exemplifies the golden age of French etching, a technique Bosse championed for its precision and tonal depth, allowing intricate details like flowing drapery and focused expressions. The image...
About the Artist
Abraham Bosse|Jean I Leblond · 1602–1676
Abraham Bosse (1604–1676) was a French printmaker and theorist whose approximately 1,600 etchings provide an unparalleled visual record of 17th-century French life. Born to Huguenot parents in Tours, he trained in Paris under Melchior Tavernier and became a devoted follower of Jacques Callot's technical innovations. Bosse's meticulous etchings depicted subjects ranging from daily life and fashion ...