Two Hesperides nymphs Engraving

This engraving belongs to the series of "Statues et bustes antiques des Maisons Royales", engraved by the Imprimerie Royale at the request of Louis XIV. Produced by Claude Mellan, it reveals the engraver's mastery of the burin technique, in which the hand digs directly into the material using a tool known as a burin.

In 1674, the king commissioned 27 marble masterpieces, initially designed to adorn the parterre d'Eau at the Château de Versailles. This prestigious collection of sculptures assembled at Versailles offers a vision of Antiquity recomposed for the glory of the king, and demonstrates his taste for Antiquity.

The purpose of this series of engravings was both to record the sculptures and to serve as propaganda, making images of the opulence that reigned at the court of Versailles accessible everywhere.