Antoine Masson

Who was Antoine Masson?

Antoine Masson was a French line engraver, born at Loury, near Orléans.

He learned engraving as an armorer's apprentice and had no other teaching. He engraved 68 plates, mostly portraits, of which the most celebrated are those of Henri de Lorraine, count of Harcourt, known as the "Cadet à la Perle," Gaspard Charrier, and Olivier d'Ormesson.

"The Pilgrims of Emmaus," after Titian, known as "The Tablecloth" because of the extreme care with which Masson has rendered the texture of linen, is his most famous subject. His work shows extraordinary facility and great talent for color, but it is often marred by mannerisms.