Tomb with Death Enthroned as a Sphinx

ca. 1779–84
Not on view
Introduced to the rudiments of etching while a student in Paris, Desprez went on to master the more complicated technique of aquatint after being sent to study at the French Academy in Rome. Visits to ancient ruins may have stimulated his series of four tombs, large sepulchral fantasies executed in a grainy aquatint, lending them a timeworn patina. In this image from the series, a skeleton adorned like a king or pharaoh guards a tomb inscribed with pseudo-hieroglyphics.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Tomb with Death Enthroned as a Sphinx
  • Artist: Louis Jean Desprez (French, Auxerre 1743–1804 Stockholm)
  • Date: ca. 1779–84
  • Medium: Etching and aquatint, printed in brown ink, ii/ii
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 13 1/4 x 19 7/16 in. (33.7 x 49.3 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Janet Lee Kadesky Ruttenberg Fund, in honor of Colta Ives, 2012
  • Object Number: 2012.189
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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.