Lyric Poetry, Pl. 63 — Nouvelle Iconologie Historique

A monumental allegory of Lyric Poetry, with Pegasus, lyre, and laurel wreath gathered around a Neoclassical pedestal.

Original title: Poësie Lyrique. Plate 63. Designed and engraved by Jean-Charles Delafosse. From Nouvelle Iconologie Historique ou Attributs Hieroglyphiques. Published in Paris by Jean-François Daumont, c. 1770.

Delafosse devoted a long sequence of plates to the liberal arts, each personified through architectural attributes rather than figures. The Pegasus-and-lyre vocabulary here became a default emblem for music rooms, theatre interiors, and bibliophile bookplates well into the Empire period.

Hand-coloured copperplate engraving. Sheet approximately 46.8 × 33.7 cm. Excellent.