s2e28 History of Prints Claude Mellan (part two)

In s2e28, hosts Ann Shafer and Tru Ludwig conclude their two-part conversation about Claude Mellan. An encounter with Mellan’s best-known work, The Holy Face of Christ on St. Veronica's Sudarium, is to be a witness to greatness. The engraving is an extraordinary feat by Claude Mellan and is a high-water mark in the history of prints.

The artist had a magical ability to create an image of unparalleled pathos and intricacy using a single spiraling line. In this episode, Tru and Ann talk about this miraculous engraving along with a few other goodies.

Get ready for an engaging discussion with Tru as they explore the depths of Mellan's remarkable work, uncovering the artist's mastery of technique and vision. And be prepared, they flung a few f-bombs about here and there.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Sudarium of Saint Veronica, 1649. Engraving. Plate : 16 7/8 x 12 3/8 in. (42.86 x 31.43 cm.); sheet: 17 7/8 x 13 3/8 in. (45.4 x 33.97 cm.). Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. [Details are at the bottom.]

Reinis Gailitis (Latvian, born 1992). A perfect spiral cut with a burin in copper.

Robert Nanteuil (French, 1623–1678). Marin Cureau de La Chambre, c. 1656. Engraving. Sheet (trimmed to platemark): 10 × 7 11/16 in. (25.4 × 19.6 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). Title Page : Le Code Louis XIV, 1667. Engraving. Sheet (trimmed to platemark): 8 1/16 x 5 3/8 in. (20.5 x 13.7 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (Italian, 1598–1680). Bust of Louis XIV, 1665. Marble. Palace of Versailles.

Robert Nanteuil (French, 1623–1678). Louis XIV, 1686. Engraving. RMN-Grand Palais Domaine de Chantilly.

Hyacinth Rigaud (French, 1659–1743). Louis VIX, 1700–01. Oil on canvas. 277 x 194 cm. (109 x 76 3/8 in.) The Louvre, Paris.

Johann Zoffany (German, 1733–1810). The Academicians of the Royal Academy, 1771–72. Oil on canvas. 101.1 x 147.5 cm. Royal Collection Trust.

Pietro Antonio Martini (Italian, 1738–1797), after Johann Heinrich Ramberg (German, 1763–1840). Exposition au Salon du Louvre en 1787, 1787. Etching and engraving. Plate : 12 11/16 x 19 5/16 in. (32.2 x 49.1 cm.); sheet: 14 x 19 3/4 in. (35.6 x 50.2 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). Moses Before the Burning Bush, 1663. Engraving. Sheet (trimmed to platemark): 9 7/16 x 13 3/16 in. (24 x 33.5 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). Adam and Eve at the Foot of the Cross, c. 1647. Engraving. Sheet (trimmed to platemark): 15 3/8 x 22 5/8 in. (39 x 57.4 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665). The Abduction of the Sabine Women, c. 1633–34. Oil on canvas. 60 7/8 x 82 5/8 in. (154.6 x 209.9 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Guillaume Chasteau (French, 1635–1683), after Nicolas Poussin (French, 1594–1665). The Death of Germanicus, 1663. Engraving. Sheet : 43.9 x 53.7 cm. The British Museum, London.

Raphael (Italian, 1483–1520). School of Athens. Stanza della Segnatura, 1509–11. Fresco wall painting. The Vatican.

Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640). The Consequences of War, 1637–38. Oil on canvas mounted to panel. 206 x 342 cm. (81 x 134 ½ in.). Palazzo Pitti, Florence.

Claude Lorrain (French, 1604/05–1682). Pastoral Landscape, 1638. Oil on canvas. 51.1/4 x 38 ¼ in. Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis.

Claude Lorrain (French, 1604/05–1682). The Country Dance (Large Plate), c. 1637. Etching. Sheet: 8 1/4 x 10 9/16 in. (21 x 26.9 cm.) ; plate: 7 7/8 x 10 3/8 in. (20 x 26.3 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Claude Lorrain (French, 1604/05–1682). A Seaport, 16454. Oil on canvas. 103 x 131 cm. National Gallery, London.

Claude Lorrain (French, 1604/05–1682). Harbor Scene with Rising Sun, 1634. Etching. Sheet: 5 9/16 x 8 1/4 in. (14.1 x 21 cm.); plate: 5 1/8 x 7 13/16 in. (13 x 19.8 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). Death of Adonis, 1636–62. Engraving. Sheet (trimmed near platemark): 8 7/16 x 12 in. (21.5 x 30.5 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). Classical Statue of Seated Woman (Mnemosyne), c. 1670. Engraving. Plate: 15 3/4 x 11 7/16 in. (40 x 29 cm.) ; sheet: 21 1/8 x 14 ¾ in. (53.6 x 37.5 cm.). Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). Philosophy Thesis of Guillaume de Longueil, 1618–88. Engraving. Sheet (trimmed near platemark): 44.2 x 58.9 cm. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). Full Moon, 1635. Engraving. Sheet (trimmed near platemark): 9 3/4 x 8 9/16 in. (24.8 x 21.7 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Moon in its First Quarter, 1635. Engraving. Plate: 9 3/16 × 6 7/8 in. (23.3 × 17.5 cm.); sheet: 9 3/8 × 7 1/8 in. (23.8 × 18.1 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Moon in its Final Quarter, 1635. Engraving. Plate: 9 1/8 × 5 3/8 in. (23.1 × 13.7 cm.); sheet: 9 3/16 × 5 1/2 in. (23.4 × 14 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Remorse of Saint Peter, 1687. Engraving. Plate: 17 11/16 x 11 7/8 in. (45 x 30.2 cm.); sheet: 18 1/2 x 12 1/2 in. (47 x 31.8 cm.). Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). Twenty-Four Portraits. Bound volume with 24 engravings. Published by Haniq in Malines, 1837.

Evan Lindquist (American, born 1936). Claude Mellan Engraves a Self-Portrait, 2008. Engraving. Plate: 9 5/8 × 7 5/8 in. (24.4 × 19.4 cm.); sheet: 14 × 11 3/4 in. (35.6 × 29.8 cm.). Syracuse University Art Museum, Syracuse.

Reinis Gailitis (Latvian, born 1992). Face of…, 2021. Engraving. Sheet: 30 x 22 cm.; plate: 25 x 18 cm. Courtesy of the Artist.

Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Sudarium of Saint Veronica, 1649. Engraving. Plate : 16 7/8 x 12 3/8 in. (42.86 x 31.43 cm.); sheet: 17 7/8 x 13 3/8 in. (45.4 x 33.97 cm.). Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis.

[DETAIL] Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Sudarium of Saint Veronica, 1649. Engraving. Plate : 16 7/8 x 12 3/8 in. (42.86 x 31.43 cm.); sheet: 17 7/8 x 13 3/8 in. (45.4 x 33.97 cm.). Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis.

[DETAIL] Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Sudarium of Saint Veronica, 1649. Engraving. Plate : 16 7/8 x 12 3/8 in. (42.86 x 31.43 cm.); sheet: 17 7/8 x 13 3/8 in. (45.4 x 33.97 cm.). Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis.

[DETAIL] Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Sudarium of Saint Veronica, 1649. Engraving. Plate : 16 7/8 x 12 3/8 in. (42.86 x 31.43 cm.); sheet: 17 7/8 x 13 3/8 in. (45.4 x 33.97 cm.). Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis.

[DETAIL] Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Sudarium of Saint Veronica, 1649. Engraving. Plate : 16 7/8 x 12 3/8 in. (42.86 x 31.43 cm.); sheet: 17 7/8 x 13 3/8 in. (45.4 x 33.97 cm.). Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis.

[DETAIL] Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Sudarium of Saint Veronica, 1649. Engraving. Plate : 16 7/8 x 12 3/8 in. (42.86 x 31.43 cm.); sheet: 17 7/8 x 13 3/8 in. (45.4 x 33.97 cm.). Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis.

[DETAIL] Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Sudarium of Saint Veronica, 1649. Engraving. Plate : 16 7/8 x 12 3/8 in. (42.86 x 31.43 cm.); sheet: 17 7/8 x 13 3/8 in. (45.4 x 33.97 cm.). Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis.

[DETAIL] Claude Mellan (French, 1598–1688). The Sudarium of Saint Veronica, 1649. Engraving. Plate : 16 7/8 x 12 3/8 in. (42.86 x 31.43 cm.); sheet: 17 7/8 x 13 3/8 in. (45.4 x 33.97 cm.). Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis.

USEFUL LINKS:

https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691133805/old-masters-and-young-geniuses

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