Skip to main content
  1. Art
  2. The Collection

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
13 x 8 7/8 in. (33.02 x 22.54 cm);13 in x 8 15/16 in (33.02 cm x 22.7 cm);12 ⅝ in (32.07 cm);12 1/16 in x 8 7/16 in (30.64 cm x 21.43 cm)
Gift of Professor Walter M. and Nesta R. Spink
2013/2.566

Tags

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:

If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.