Triumph of Grammar
17th century
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
Sheet: 3 x 13 1/16 in. (7.6 x 33.2cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.551.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Triumph of Grammar is a delicate 17th-century etching French artist Pierre Brébiette, a master of Mannerist style known for his intricate line work and allegorical scenes. Created during the reign of Louis XIII, this print captures the exuberant theme of Grammar's triumph—a classical motif celebrating the liberal arts through personified figures. Measuring just 3 x 131/16 inches, its elongated format suggests a frieze-like composition, ideal etching's precision in rendering fine details. The artwork features men and women amid musical instruments, evoking a festive procession where Grammar ...
About the Artist
Pierre Brebiette · 1598–1642
Pierre Brébiette (c. 1598–c. 1642) was a French painter and etcher whose elegant, sensuous treatment of classical mythology and allegory earned him a significant reputation in early seventeenth-century Paris. Born in Mantes-sur-Seine, Brébiette traveled to Italy as a young man and lived and worked in Rome from around 1617 to approximately 1625, absorbing the influences of ancient sculpture, Renais...