The Woman Clothed with the Sun
n.d.
Medium
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 29.5 × 21 cm (11 5/8 × 8 5/16 in.); Sheet: 31.5 × 23.1 cm (12 7/16 × 9 1/8 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
4402
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Duvet’s densely ornamented rendition of chapter 12 of Revelation focuses on the Virgin Mary, a resplendent figure in bejeweled robe, crown, and halo encrusted with 12 stars. Her perch on the crescent moon sets her in unflinching opposition to the seven-headed dragon opposite, and the glory of the sun’s rays emitted by her helps keep it at bay. Her charge, the infant Christ, has already been borne aloft to God the Father by angels, ensuring the salvation of humanity. Mary’s wings will allow her o...
About the Artist
Jean Duvet · 1485–1570
Jean Duvet (1485–after 1562), a pioneering French goldsmith and engraver from the provincial heartlands of Dijon and Langres, emerged as the first significant printmaker in France. Born to a Dijon goldsmith, he trained in the family trade and rose swiftly, becoming master of the Dijon Goldsmiths' Guild by 1509. Duvet's early career blended goldsmithing with engraving; no specific teachers are docu...