The favorite nanny (La balia favorita)
Original title: The favorite nanny (La balia favorita)
kurzbeschreibung
A seated woman with two babies on her lap — this motif comes from Giuseppe Maria Crespi's etching "The Favourite Nurse" (Die bevorzugte Amme), made between 1685 and 1747. It belongs to the Baroque genre scene and focuses on the nurse's caring role.
Description
The layout feels symmetrical: the woman sits enthroned at the centre, her arms wrapped around the two small children resting on her lap. Barefoot and in simple garments, one of the babies holds a toy. Curtains and a window, on whose sill a parrot perches, close off the room. The analysis describes the print as monochrome, with even light and no harsh contrasts. Delicate lines and hatching shape the fabrics and the woman's hair.
Context
The Bolognese painter and printmaker Giuseppe Maria Crespi, a Baroque artist, probably made this etching as part of a series of genre scenes. The nurse as a subject was highly popular in the 17th and 18th centuries and testified to an interest in domestic everyday life. Crespi was known for his lifelike portrayals of peasant and bourgeois life in Bologna.
Impact
The etching's quiet, intimate mood, arising from the symmetrical arrangement and even light, is what first strikes the viewer. The delicate linework gives the scene a fine tone and underscores the affection between nurse and children.
Technique
Crespi worked in etching: the drawing is scratched into a wax layer on a copper plate and then etched. Fine lines and hatching allow a detailed rendering of textures such as fabric and hair. The sheet measures 26.1 × 21 cm, which suggests it was trimmed later.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)