Jean Racine 1772

Curator: This is Pierre Savart's "Jean Racine," a print from 1772, residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. It captures Racine, the celebrated French dramatist. Editor: Immediately, there's this almost theatrical quality, a carefully constructed image with the oval frame and symbolic elements surrounding Racine. Curator: Absolutely, the decorative surround reinforces that sense. Note the laurel wreath, the cherub with the lyre, the helmet and plume—all speaking to Racine's achievements in literature and perhaps even warfare of wit. Editor: The textures created by the engraving are incredible, look at the density of lines used to evoke the velvet and lace. Savart really maximized the medium to convey depth and materiality. It's quite stunning. Curator: It makes you wonder about Racine, what he might have thought of such formal displays, such almost bombastic celebrations of his person. Editor: I am simply left in awe of the artist's craft and the way he manipulates light through the textures in the engraving.