Inventor of Greek Figures, Plate 10 (1771): Art, History and Details

Inventor of Greek Figures, Plate 10 (1771) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Benigno Bossi (Italian, 1727–1792); Ennemond Alexandre Petitot (French, 1727-1801).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Poking fun at the vogue for classical antiquities that gripped Enlightenment Europe, French architect Ennemond Alexandre Petitot portrayed himself as an elaborately dressed Greek statue in a drawing on which this print is likely based. The popularization of classical elements and motifs in fine and decorative arts during this period was known as the goût grec, or "Greek taste." Revered for its perceived simplicity and grandeur, ancient Greek art was believed to reflect the physical health and moral character of that civilization. Here reproduced by engraver Benigno Bossi, Petitot’s design whimsically parodies the artist and his time, transforming the elegance and sobriety of classical Greece into the excess and extravagance of the 1700s.

Object facts

• Title: Inventor of Greek Figures, Plate 10
• Date: 1771
• Creator attribution: Benigno Bossi (Italian, 1727–1792); Ennemond Alexandre Petitot (French, 1727-1801)
• Culture: Italy
• Type: Print
• Technique: etching with stipple and engraving
• Dimensions: Image: 23.8 x 16.7 cm (9 3/8 x 6 9/16 in.); Plate: 27 x 18.4 cm (10 5/8 x 7 1/4 in.); Sheet: 41.9 x 28.1 cm (16 1/2 x 11 1/16 in.)
• Collection: PR - Etching
• Department: Prints
• Accession number: 2014.6.11

A detail from the museum

Ennemond Alexandre Petitot was an architect and stage designer who often incorporated classicized elements into his designs.

Collection credit

Gift of the Print Club of Cleveland in memory of Louise S. Richards

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.