Two Children with a Mask
Medium
Engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 3 1/8 x 8 1/16 in. (7.9 x 20.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1926
Accession Number
26.50.1(147)
Art Historical Context
This delicate engraving, "Two Children with a Mask" by René Boyvin, offers a glimpse into the playful yet refined world of 16th-century French printmaking. Though the exact date remains unknown, the small sheet—measuring just 3 1/8 by 8 1/16 inches—suggests an intimate work designed for close inspection, perhaps as part of a collector’s album or decorative series. The scene of two children engaging with a mask evokes themes of imagination, disguise, and youthful discovery that resonated in Renaissance art. Boyvin’s engraving technique demonstrates the precision of the medium, where fine lines...
About the Artist
René Boyvin · 1525–1580
French, Angers ca. 1525–1598 or 1625/6 Angers