The Three Graces 1659

"The Three Graces" was etched in 1631 by Claude Mellan, using a copper plate. Rather than using a range of hatching and cross-hatching to build up tone and volume, Mellan used a single line. Look closely, and you’ll see that the entire image is made from one, continuous spiraling groove in the copper. Starting with the tip of the nose of the central Grace, the line swells and shrinks, twists and turns, to create this composition. This was an astonishing technical feat, requiring absolute control of the burin. The pressure of the hand, the angle of the tool, and the consistency of the metal: all had to be perfectly calibrated. With this print, Mellan demonstrated not just an image, but the apotheosis of a skilled practice. It’s a bravura performance, one that still astonishes viewers today. It asks us to reconsider the relationship between concept and execution.