Marguerite Lemon, maitresse d'Antoine van Dyck
Original title: Marguerite Lemon, maitresse d'Antoine van Dyck
kurzbeschreibung
The subject is Marguerite Lemon, the mistress of the Flemish painter Anthony van Dyck. Jean Morin made this etching after a painting by van Dyck; it dates from the 17th century. The woman appears in half-profile and seems composed.
Description
Her gaze turns slightly to the right while she holds a half-profile pose. She wears a light garment with rolled-up sleeves, and a pearl necklace rests around her neck. A flower adorns her curly hair. A dark, almost black background accentuates the figure. A rectangular, slightly ornamented border frames the image, and below it are the inscriptions 'Ant van Dyck pinx' and 'Vandyck's Mistres'.
Context
The Frenchman Jean Morin, a 17th-century engraver, was known for his reproductive prints after paintings by famous artists. The model for this portrait was a painting by Anthony van Dyck, who worked at the court of Charles I of England. Marguerite Lemon was van Dyck's mistress and the mother of several of his children. The etching was probably made in the mid-17th century, when van Dyck's works were admired throughout Europe.
Impact
The gentle facial expression and the dark background give the sheet a calm, contemplative mood. Fine lines and hatching produce an elegant, detailed rendering that draws the viewer's attention to the sitter's personality.
Technique
Fine lines and hatching define this etching; it precisely reproduces contours and textures. The second state of the print is assumed, indicating that the plate was reworked. The sheet measures 31.2 x 25.5 cm, the image itself 29.2 x 23.7 cm.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)