Dame de Constantinople, plate 5 from 'Recueil de diverses fig.res étrangeres Inventées par F. Boucher P.tre du Roy et Gravées par F. Ravenet'
Original title: Dame de Constantinople, plate 5 from "Recueil de diverses fig.res étrangeres Inventées par F. Boucher P.tre du Roy et Gravées par F. Ravenet" (Collection of Various Foreign Figures, Devised by F. Boucher, Painter of the King and Engraved [etched] by F. Ravenet)
kurzbeschreibung
Simon Francis Ravenet the Elder made this etching and engraving, 'Dame aus Konstantinopel', around 1730–50. It shows a woman in traditional dress with an elaborate headdress and fur. The subject comes from a series designed by François Boucher and transferred to copper by Ravenet.
Description
From the middle of the image the woman looks slightly sideways, past the viewer. Flowers decorate her headdress; over a long-sleeved blouse with a broad fur collar she wears a fur coat also ornamented with floral motifs. Trees and a building suggest the background. Fine hatching and graded contrasts define the monochrome black-and-white rendering.
Context
The series of prints goes back to designs by François Boucher, the royal painter, and was engraved by Simon Francis Ravenet the Elder. Costume studies of this kind were very popular in eighteenth-century France and offered an exotic image of foreign cultures. The period of origin around 1730–50 falls in Boucher's years as a leading decorative painter and in Ravenet's phase as a copper engraver in Paris.
Impact
The figure's calm, slightly averted gaze draws the viewer to her unfamiliar appearance. Her upright posture and richly decorated garment give her dignity and an exotic air. Delicately placed lines and restrained monochrome create a detached, concentrated mood.
Technique
Etching and engraving complement each other: the first allows loose lines, the second precise hatching. Thus detailed textures of fur and fabric are achieved, as well as soft transitions in the background.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)