French Literature Reviews - 2026

X. Salmon, French Drawing in the 17th Century
Art and Visual Culture

French Drawing in the 17th Century
Louis-Antoine Prat
Xavier Salmon (Foreword)

PUBLICATION DATE: 13/11/13 PUBLISHER: Somogy ISBN: 978-2-7572-0653-9 EAN: 9782757206539 FORMAT: Fine Art Book BINDING: Hardcover NO. OF PAGES: 679 p.

Following his work tracing the evolution of French drawing in the 18th century (published in 2011), this new synthesis by the same author, a professor at the École du Louvre, is dedicated to the history of French drawing in the seventeenth century—a period that can be compared to the Spanish or Dutch Golden Age. Indeed, the diversity of artists, the multiplicity of trends, and the variety of centers, both Parisian and provincial, combine to make an extensive study of the graphic output of French masters, from Jacques Callot to Charles Le Brun and beyond, truly fascinating. It offers a specialized approach to an era in the history of drawing that previously lacked any comprehensive survey.

Enriched by the latest discoveries—including recent publications, re-emerging artworks, and new attributions (which continually surface as scholarship advances)—this text of nearly seven hundred pages, illustrated with fifteen hundred drawings, should appeal to a wide audience of enthusiasts, connoisseurs, students, and art lovers. Eager to understand the creative richness of the seventeenth century, engage with its countless draftspeople, navigate the complex history of its collections, and appreciate the quality of works often previously unpublished or rarely reproduced, readers will find ample material here to train their eye—an essential tool for the "delectation" that Nicolas Poussin considered the ultimate purpose of art.

The seventeenth century in France encompasses a rich tapestry of artistic production, bridging regional traditions and courtly patronage under figures such as Charles Le Brun alongside independent visionaries like Jacques Callot. This era of graphic arts reflects diverse stylistic movements and flourishing provincial centers that rivaled contemporary European developments in Spain and the Low Countries. Readers interested in seventeenth-century art history and the methodology of connoisseurship may find this publication relevant to their study of collections and attributions.