About this artwork
Mellan never completed this secular engraving, and he may not have intended to publish or distribute it widely. The work is a surprisingly sensual departure for an artist who engraved hundreds of religious subjects and portraits, but it maintains his sinuous, supple line. The stark nudity of the Venus-like central figure, taken from an unfinished plate with substantial areas of blank space, enhances the print’s abstraction.
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Status
- Currently Off View
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Department
- Prints and Drawings
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Artist
- Claude Mellan
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Title
- The Mousetrap
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Place
- France (Artist's nationality)
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Date
- 1649–1659
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Medium
- Engraving and drypoint in black on ivory laid paper
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Dimensions
- Image/plate: 22.7 × 30.9 cm (8 15/16 × 12 3/16 in.); Sheet: 23.4 × 31.4 cm (9 1/4 × 12 3/8 in.)
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Credit Line
- The Amanda S. Johnson and Marion J. Livingston Fund
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Reference Number
- 2014.642
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IIIF Manifest
- https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/222781/manifest.json
Extended information about this artwork
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.
