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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2009.79
People
Jean Massard, French (Bellême 1740 - 1822 Paris)
Jean Lattré, French (active 1743-1793)
After Charles-Nicolas Cochin le jeune, French (Paris 1715 - 1790 Paris)
Title
Allegory of Reims
Classification
Prints
Work Type
print
Date
1769
Culture
French
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/332454

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Etching and engraving on off-white antique laid paper
Technique
Etching and engraving
Dimensions
Image: 26.5 × 39.8 cm (10 7/16 × 15 11/16 in.)
Plate: 32.2 × 41.6 cm (12 11/16 × 16 3/8 in.)
Sheet: 33 × 42.5 cm (13 × 16 3/4 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: on plate, lower right: J. Massard Sculp. 1769
  • inscription: in print, on leftmost barrel, lower left: Massard / 1768
  • inscription: in print, upper right: Echelle de 300 Toises / 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 300 Toises
  • inscription: on plate, lower left: C. N. Cochin inv.

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Alvin L. Clark, Jr., Cambridge, gift; to Harvard Art Museums, inv. no. 2009.79

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Alvin L. Clark, Jr.
Accession Year
2009
Object Number
2009.79
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Commentary
Jean Massard’s etching is after a drawing by Charles-Nicolas Cochin the Younger is in the collection. The drawing and print depict the decorative cartouche for a monumental map of the city of Reims produced by Massard, Legendre, and Lattré in 1769. The print includes an inscription about the plan of Reims. It is evident from the branches of the tree in the upper right corner of the print, extending over the edge of the sheet, that this is a single sheet from a multi-sheet map. The edge of the map is visible in the upper left corner. Reims is a city that was always important to the French royal family: it is the home of the cathedral where French kings were crowned, the seat of the realm's most important cardinal, and the center of France's champagne production. Louis XV commissioned a number of urban projects in Reims towards the end of his reign, the centerpiece of which was his life-sized marble portrait by Pigalle. The new map of the city celebrated the completion of these projects. In the design by Cochin, Reims is seen as the new Rome (note Romulus and Remus suckling the she-wolf) under the protection of Minerva/France. Just to her left, the female personification of the River Vesle--the city's main water source--looks on as putti assume the role of viticulturists and Pan enjoys the fruits of their labors.

Related Works

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu