Artwork
The Child Jesus
The Child Jesus is an ink print by the Baroque artist Claude Mellan. It dates from 1643 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower center in image: PVER IESV REX COELORVM / PVERVM PEGEM GALLORVM / LVUDOVICVM PROTEGE / Summo utrique puero ac Regi / Iesu et Ludovico C. Mellan G. P. et scul. D / C. P. R.; by later hand, lower edge in graphite: d. / No. 18 / La M 19 / M 19; arte / M86 TX71/DRP; lower right in graphite and chalk: 2p14/GB / 170892; 6818
About this work
Claude Mellan’s engraving shows a calm boy with long hair holding a wooden staff.
Claude Mellan’s engraving shows a calm boy with long hair holding a wooden staff. His face glows softly against a dark background.
Mellan earned fame for prints made with a single line. This 1643 version copies the style but keeps the child gentle. The paper shows faint grid marks from the printing press.
See how he carved the curls with tiny parallel lines. For more prints like this, look up Mellan, Claude.
Overview
The Child Jesus is an engraving on laid paper by Claude Mellan, created around 1643. It is currently held at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Subject & Meaning
The engraving depicts a serene young boy with long hair holding a wooden staff, his face softly illuminated against a dark background.
Technique & Style
Mellan, known for his single-line engraving technique, employed a variation of this style here, using tiny parallel lines to capture details such as the boy's curls. The print bears faint grid marks from the printing process.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
