Étienne Delaune

Shield of Henry II of France, depicting Hannibal's victory of the Romans at Cannae in 216 BC

Étienne Delaune, Delaulne, or De Laune, a French engraver, was born in Paris, or more probably at Orléans, in 1518. He commenced bis career as an engraver of medals, and is said to have been helped by Benvenuto Cellini, who was at that time living in Paris. He afterwards engraved many prints after Raphael, and the Italian masters of Fontainebleau, and still more after the designs of his son Jean, with whom he passed the greater part of his life at Strassburg. His style was formed upon that of the Little Masters of Germany. He died at Strassburg in 1595.

Parade Armour of Henry II of France, c 1555, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Étienne Delaune was one of the most famous designers of goldsmith's work of his time. There are six of his designs in the Louvre; two of them are for circular dishes representing the Histories of Moses and of Samson. His prints, which are generally small, are very numerous; they are executed entirely with the graver, with great dexterity of handling, and are very highly finished. He copied some of the prints of Marc Antonio with success. He usually marked his prints with the initial of his Christian name, S., or S. F., or S. fecit, but sometimes Stephanus, fecit. His works are described in Robert-Dumesnil's 'Peintre-Graveur,' vol. ix. The following are the principal:

• A set of thirty Subjects from the Old Testament.
• A set of eighteen Mythological Subjects; oval, very small.
• The Twelve Months of the Year; circular.
• Jupiter, Neptune, Mercury, and Ceres; four circular plates.
• Four Subjects from Ancient History ; oval.
• The Four Monarchies; oval.
• Four plates of Rural Occupations; oval.
• The Three Graces.
• David and Goliath; after Marc Antonio.
• The Murder of the Innocents; after the same.
• The Martyrdom of St. Felicitas; after the same.
• The Rape of Helen; after the same.
• The Brazen Serpent; after Jean Cousin. This is one of his largest prints.

References

This article incorporates text from the article "DELAUNE, Étienne" in Bryan's Dictionary of Painters and Engravers by Michael Bryan, edited by Robert Edmund Graves and Sir Walter Armstrong, an 1886–1889 publication now in the public domain.

External links

• Étienne Delaune in American public collections on the French Sculpture Census website