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Night Scene from Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux’s “The Lectern” [Le Lutrin], Illustration for the 3rd Canto

Bernard Picart

Artwork Details

Night Scene from Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux’s “The Lectern” [Le Lutrin], Illustration for the 3rd Canto
Bernard Picart
etching and engraving on laid paper
12 7/8 x 8 7/8 in. (32.7 x 22.54 cm);11 15/16 x 8 3/8 in. (30.32 x 21.27 cm);22 x 18 in. (55.88 x 45.72 cm)
Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink
2013/2.566

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Description

Subject Matter:

The French satirist Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux wrote Le Lutrin in 1674. This "mock-heroic poem" recounts the quarrel of two church dignitaries over where to place the lectern in the church. This print depicts a scene from the 3rd Canto when three men try to move the lectern in the middle of the night, under the cover of darkness.

Physical Description:

Three men standing in a surprised movement with an owl coming out of an overturned lectern. There is decorated border around the drawing.

Usage Rights:

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