Virtue: Athena

An oval etched frame of scrolling ornament and ribbon knots encloses a banner of script at top and a standing armored female figure with helmet, spear and shield at center. Below, a carved mask and a tablet carry the printed imprint of the publisher and the Paris address.

Look closer: The publisher's imprint 'A Paris, Chez Melchior Tavernier' and 'Abraham Bosse' are engraved in the tablet below the figure.

Artist

Abraham Bosse

Date

1637

Medium

Etching

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

2649 × 4000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1957