Gentleman in a Cape and Plumed Hat Seen from the Back

Gentleman in a Cape and Plumed Hat Seen from the Back

Abraham Bosse

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bosse is best known for his etchings of everyday life. This print, from a series he created with the painter Saint-Igny, depicts stylishly dressed noblemen and women set in contemporary landscapes. They do not represent specific people but are fashion prints. This gentleman’s costume was etched in great detail, from his broad-brimmed plumed cap to the stirrups on his boots.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Gentleman in a Cape and Plumed Hat Seen from the BackGentleman in a Cape and Plumed Hat Seen from the BackGentleman in a Cape and Plumed Hat Seen from the BackGentleman in a Cape and Plumed Hat Seen from the BackGentleman in a Cape and Plumed Hat Seen from the Back

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.