Preview
Description
Copper engraving.
This book of hours was dedicated to Marie Anne Christine Victoire de Bauirre, the daughter-in-law of Louis XIV. It was printed and sold by Parisian printer-bookseller Pierre-Augustin Le Mercier. Printers of the age were known to dedicate books to various members of French royalty. This engraving is signed by Simon Thomassin (1654-1733), a principal engraver to King Louis XIV. His talents were discovered by the French Minister of Finances, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, who sent him to Rome on a royal scholarship from 1676 to 1680. On his return to France he became Engraver to the King and a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture.
Analysis
Here is another example that shows the risen Christ hovering “supernaturally” above the open sarcophagus. In this depiction he is unclothed; the shroud lapped across his body for modesty. The figure of Christ is framed by light against an etching of dark clouds. In his left hand he holds “the Banner of Victory”, a symbol of his victory over death. Three soldiers cower and shield their faces from the light.
Rights
Artwork in the public domain.