Engraving On Vellum, One Of Niobe's Sons, Leander And The Sleeping Medusa

Engraved plate One of the sons of Niobe,
Leander and sleeping Medusa
Gallery of Florence and the Pitti Palace (1789–1807)
Etching and burin on Annonay vellum paper
Dimensions: 54 × 36 cm
Paris, between 1789 and 1807
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Description: Rare and elegant engraved plate taken from the monumental work Tableaux, Statues, Bas-reliefs et Camées de la Galerie de Florence et du Palais Pitti, published in Paris at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Wicar and Lacombe. This plate, engraved with remarkable finesse by Claude-Louis Masquelier, combines three subjects from Antiquity:
• One of the sons of Niobe: splendid representation of an ancient Florentine statue, famous for its dramatic tension and expressiveness. The momentum of the body frozen in flight, the animated drapery and the tragic gaze evoke all the expressive power of Hellenistic sculpture.
• Leander: mythological hero in love with Hero, engraved here after an antique cameo. He embodies courage, passion and tragic destiny.
• Sleeping Medusa: very beautiful female profile, from an antique engraved stone, representing the Gorgon in a state of rare peace. The work illustrates the fascination of 18th-century artists for the ambivalent and poetic beauty of mythological figures.⸻
Context: This engraving is part of a vast publishing project born during the Revolution, intended to disseminate the masterpieces of Italian collections in France. The whole, printed on Annonay vellum paper, is distinguished by the quality of its execution, its erudition (explanatory text by Mongez the elder on the back) and its importance in the history of neoclassical taste.
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Condition: Very good impression, original irregular edges, clean and well-preserved paper. No tears, slight marginal handling marks.
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Interest: Decorative and documentary piece, ideal for framing or a collection specializing in neoclassical prints, ancient art or scholarly illustrated editions.