Livre de Portraiture, 1644-c. 1700
Etchings, engravings; bound volumeexpand_more
Gift of Roy and Jean Perkinsonexpand_more 2013.51
Not on Viewexpand_more
Drawing manuals were common teaching tools for artists and amateurs learning to draw in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is a kind of pattern book for the aspiring draftsmen to study and copy, with concise prints depicting body parts—ears, eyes, hands, feet, legs—which provide step by step instruction to master drawing the human form. A series of head studies show tricks to help students learn how to determine accurate proportions, particularly when foreshortening forms, and as the book progresses, more finished figures and complex scenes are presented to guide the artists’ advancement. This model book, comprising some 50 plates, was published by the French printmaker and publisher Balthasar Moncornet and his shop. It features copies of prints after two important contemporary artists, the Italian painter Guercino (Giovanni Francesco Barbieri) and the French draftsman and etcher Jacques Callot, among others. While some of the plates are rather slavish copies of these artists’ works, they testify to the high esteem and widespread influence of their work in the period.
Details
- Title
- Livre de Portraiture
- Artist Life
- (Bologna), 1591–1666
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2013.51
- Provenance
- Roy Perkinson, Boston, Mass., bought from an antique shop at an unknown date; given to MIA, 2013
- Curator Approved
This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.
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