Omer Talon
Claude Mellan · 1645/52 · Art Institute of Chicago
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Omer Talon was the attorney general to the Parisian Parliament at the beginning of the Fronde, a period of civil war in France, known for opposing a major tax proposed by Louis XIV’s mother, Anne of Austria. With his singular style of engraving, Claude Mellan employed parallel lines, rather than cross-hatching, to create shading. This technique is visible on Talon’s cap, where Mellan thickened and darkened portions of the lines around its center to suggest a dark fabric lit from above. Since this style leaves more of the paper untouched by ink, Mellan’s engravings are often lighter than works by his contemporaries.
The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Details
- Maker
- Claude Mellan, French, 1598-1688
- Date
- 1645/52
- Medium
- Engraving on paper
- Dimensions
- Plate: 27.4 × 19.7 cm (10 13/16 × 7 13/16 in.); Sheet: 31.5 × 23.4 cm (12 7/16 × 9 1/4 in.)
- Place of origin
- France
- Held by
- Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · Not on view
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Morris Woolf
Image: Art Institute of Chicago, CC0
