It was advertised in ‘Intelligenzblatt der Allgemeinen Literatur Zeitung von Jahre 1793’ (Number 23, 16 March 1793).
The print is based on Berquin’s passage from his “L’Innocence reconnue” (published 1776). The story is taken from a famous medieval legend of the life of Genevieve of Brabant from the “Golden Legend” and concerns a virtuous wife falsely accused of infidelity. The Genevieve tale first obtained wide popularity in L'Innocence reconnue, ou vie de Sainte Genevieve de Brabant by the Jesuit René de Cerisiers (1603–1662). Arnaud Berquin (French, 1749-1791), a famous French author of books for children, put the story into a romance.
Jean-Marie Mixelle spent the majority of his life in Paris, honing his craft. He became renowned for his exceptional skill and dedication to the art of engraving during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His career coincided with a period of significant social and political upheaval in France, including the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Despite the tumultuous events of the time, he continued to produce engravings that reflected the cultural and artistic currents of the era.
Our print, with its sombre subject-matter reflects the political situation at the time in France, with the Revolution and la Terreur that followed. Genevieve of Brabant is traced back to a cult of Saint Genevieve - the patron saint of Paris.
Very rare.
