MELLAN Claude (1601 1688) - "Adam and Eve... - Lot 40 - Eric Caudron

MELLAN Claude (1601 1688) - "Adam and Eve at the foot of Christ on the cross". 1647. Original engraving with burin, on laid paper. Printed in two sheets. Ref : I.F.F XVIIth century, Tome XVII, n°22 & 23. Proof of the second state on II for "Christ on the cross", some sizes removed on the face, on the right leg of Christ, more drops of blood on the thighs and on the cheek. Unique state for "Adam and Eve at the foot of the cross". In the lower margin of the upper part "Dedicated to the very Christian King of France and Navarre Louis XIIII / By his very humble and very faithful subiet C. Mellan - Aux Galleries du Louvre". 88,5 x 55,8 cm & 41,8 x 57,6 cm approximately each sheet. Condition B (proof doubled for the first one, tears and lacks filled on the edges). A student of Simon Vouet, Claude Mellan is undoubtedly an exceptional engraver who is an absolute master in the field of burin. His style is recognized by lines that are always carefully premeditated and masterfully executed. Claude Mellan, known for being an outstanding portraitist and a faithful interpreter of ancient sculptures, also devoted himself to religious themes where the artist gave free rein to his inventiveness and his own interpretations, such as the particularly original vision of the composition we are presenting: the first human couple, Adam and Eve, appear in an almost lewd posture, in their dialogue with death, which has now been invited into the life of man (Source: Exhibition "Claude Mellan (1598-1688). L'Écriture de la méthode" [Cat. expo. Vevey 2015]).