The Iron Age (L'âge de fer) 1650 - 1722

This etching by Nicolas Arnoult depicts the "Iron Age" from his series of prints representing the four ages of man, as described in the classical tradition. Arnoult’s series, called *Les Quatre Ages du Monde,* was published in Paris in 1694, and this particular print shows three figures in elaborate clothing. The central figure appears to be a woman beating a drum with sticks. The woman on the left holds a sword and the woman on the right holds a shield and a lance. An armored foot lies abandoned at the bottom of the composition. This print, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a great example of French Baroque art from the late 17th century.