Antique Scene, Sacrifice with Bacchantes, Ancient Sculpture

1791

Not on view

Louise Pithoud produced many prints after Moitte during the French Revolution, including this one with a unique blue aquatint border made to mimic expensive blue paper. Here, muscled women and men approach a flaming altar with sacrifices—a bull, urns, garlands, and even a statue. Produced as the French Revolution intensified, this scene echoes the many real acts of donation that occurred at this time. Pithoud participated in the most famous of these on September 7, 1789. Organized by Adélaïde Castellas-Moitte, twenty-one women artists donated their jewelry to the National Assembly while dressed in white robes, evoking heroines of ancient Rome. Heralded in papers as "Citoyennes" (Citizenesses), through this act, they used their artistic status to further the cause of the revolution.

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Antique Scene, Sacrifice with Bacchantes, Ancient Sculpture
Artist: Louise Pithoud (French, active 18th century)
Artist: After Jean Guillaume Moitte (French, Paris 1746–1810 Paris)
Date: 1791
Medium: Aquatint, etching, and crayon manner engraving with blue printed border
Dimensions: sheet: 5 7/8 x 16 13/16 in. (15 x 42.8 cm)
Classification: Prints
Credit Line: The Elisha Wittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1968
Object Number: 68.540.5
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Frieze with Antique Motifs, Louise Pithoud French, Etching, aquatint, and crayon manner engraving — Frieze with Antique Motifs
Louise Pithoud
Jean Guillaume Moitte
ca. 1791

Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints, Gideon Saint British, Pen and ink, engraving and etching — Scrapbook of Drawings and Prints
Gideon Saint
ca. 1760

Mascarade à la Grecque; Suite des Vases; and [Cheminées], Ennemond Alexandre Petitot French, Etching — Mascarade à la Grecque; Suite des Vases; and [Cheminées]
Multiple artists/makers
1771, 1764

Village Girl Dancing, Abraham Bosse French, Etching — Village Girl Dancing
Abraham Bosse
Jean I Leblond
1626–28

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.