Portrait of one of Cornelis de Vos' children (probably), seated in a baby chair (1762, Met-Objekt 1322)
Original title: Portrait of one of Cornelis de Vos' children (probably), seated in a baby chair
kurzbeschreibung
Manuel Salvador Carmona produced this engraving in 1762, portraying a child seated in a baby chair. The image presents a child's portrait in contemporary dress, rendered as an engraving. The sheet belongs to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Description
The child's calm, concentrated gaze immediately draws attention, seated in a simple baby chair with visible wooden joints. The child wears a headscarf, a blouse with a ruffled collar and sleeve ribbons, and trousers whose hem is decorated with bows. A cross pendant hangs from a chain around the neck. The facial expression appears serious and thoughtful. In the lower part of the sheet, there is a text block with a coat of arms, suggesting a connection to the Marquis de Grimaldi. The monochrome rendering in shades of gray relies on fine lines and hatching, characteristic of an engraving.
Context
The Spaniard Manuel Salvador Carmona worked as a copper engraver in the 18th century and gained fame for his portraits. The 1762 work likely derives from a painting by Cornelis de Vos, a Flemish Baroque painter. The coat of arms with reference to the Marquis de Grimaldi suggests an aristocratic patron. Possibly the engraving served to reproduce a painting and make it accessible to a wider audience.
Impact
The viewer is first taken by the quiet, dignified aura of the print. The fine lines and restrained gray tones create a calm atmosphere. The child's serious gaze and the meticulously detailed clothing give the portrait a ceremonial quality and make the historical distance palpable.
Technique
For this engraving, lines were incised into a copper plate and then printed on paper. The characteristic fine hatching and precise linework are typical of this process. The plate measures 34.2 × 21.2 cm, the sheet 47.6 × 33 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)