On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

Melle Sa Soeur

Print
1762 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This etching and engraving is by Juste Chevillet (1729-1790) a German printmaker active in France and Rome. It is one of a pair he produced in 1762 after paintings by the Swiss artist, Johann Caspar Heilmann of his sister. The name and address of the publisher, La Veuve Chereau, is printed below the image. The titles of the prints are Melle sa Soeur (Mademoiselle his Sister) and Le Bon Exemple (the Good Example), referred to in some literature as La Fileuse (the Spinner) and La Couturière (the Seamstress). Both prints were advertised for sale in the French literary journal Mercure de France and were the most successful of Chevillet’s output. Marie Christine, Archduchess of Austria, sister of Marie Antoinette and an accomplished amateur artist, made a self portrait using the print Melle sa Soeur as a model, in about 1765. This shows her in an identical pose with a spinning wheel on her lap.

This print shows a typical activity of a gentlewoman of this period. The young woman is shown using a silk-winder or spinning wheel. She is in the process of twisting fine fibres, probably silk but possibly flax, into thread. She wears a heavy apron to protect her clothes. The thread that she is making would have been used for embroidery and creating decorative details on garments. Not only was silk-winding considered a useful, practical skill, it also drew attention to elegant hands and could consequently become a valuable asset in flirtation and courtship. As is demonstrated by the self-portrait of the Archduchess this occupation was considered an acceptable and virtuous occupation for women of noble rank.


Object details

Category
Object type
TitleMelle Sa Soeur (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Engraving and etching on laid paper
Brief description
'Melle sa soeur'; etching and engraving by Juste Chevillet after a painting by Johann Casper Heilmann; published by La Veuve de F. Chereau; Paris; 1762
Physical description
A woman in fashionable dress with a miniature spinning wheel on her lap sitting in front of a fireplace. The image set within a frame with a twisted ribbon draped over the top of the frame.
Dimensions
  • Height: 455mm
  • Width: 325mm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Melle SA SOEUR (Lettered with title on socle of the frame)
  • Heillmann Pinxit (Below the image on the left)
  • Chevillet Sculpsit (Below the image on the right)
  • A Paris, chés la Ve de F. Chereau, rue St Jacques aux 2. Piliers d'Or (At the bottom of the page in the centre)
Credit line
Given by Mr. H. Archer Bowler
Object history
From The British Museum catalogue: 'A pair with 'Le Bon Exemple'. The two were announced in the 'Mercure de France' for April 1762.'
Summary
This etching and engraving is by Juste Chevillet (1729-1790) a German printmaker active in France and Rome. It is one of a pair he produced in 1762 after paintings by the Swiss artist, Johann Caspar Heilmann of his sister. The name and address of the publisher, La Veuve Chereau, is printed below the image. The titles of the prints are Melle sa Soeur (Mademoiselle his Sister) and Le Bon Exemple (the Good Example), referred to in some literature as La Fileuse (the Spinner) and La Couturière (the Seamstress). Both prints were advertised for sale in the French literary journal Mercure de France and were the most successful of Chevillet’s output. Marie Christine, Archduchess of Austria, sister of Marie Antoinette and an accomplished amateur artist, made a self portrait using the print Melle sa Soeur as a model, in about 1765. This shows her in an identical pose with a spinning wheel on her lap.

This print shows a typical activity of a gentlewoman of this period. The young woman is shown using a silk-winder or spinning wheel. She is in the process of twisting fine fibres, probably silk but possibly flax, into thread. She wears a heavy apron to protect her clothes. The thread that she is making would have been used for embroidery and creating decorative details on garments. Not only was silk-winding considered a useful, practical skill, it also drew attention to elegant hands and could consequently become a valuable asset in flirtation and courtship. As is demonstrated by the self-portrait of the Archduchess this occupation was considered an acceptable and virtuous occupation for women of noble rank.


Collection
Accession number
E.3784-1922

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Record createdJune 30, 2009
Record URL
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