First Quarter

The Moon in its First Quarter — Claude Mellan, 1635

Archival pigment print
Edition of 25 per size
Printed on Hahnemühle paper

Original artwork in the public domain. Source image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This engraving is one of three remarkable prints Mellan created depicting different phases of the moon, based on sketches he made in early 1636 in Aix-en-Provence, France. 

• Telescopic Observation: Mellan made his sketches by observing the moon through a telescope, a relatively new Dutch invention at the time (circa 1608). These engravings were highly realistic for their era and were considered some of the most accurate depictions of the lunar surface until the advent of photography in the 1800s.

• Commission: The series of engravings was commissioned by the French humanist Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc and the astronomer/theologian Pierre Gassendi, who were pioneers in astronomical observation.

• Artistic Technique: Mellan was known for his mastery of the engraving technique, which involved adjusting the thickness and spacing of lines to create volume, light, and shadow. 

After Hours Art Editions publishes limited-edition prints for collectors drawn to mood, intimacy, and the charged space between art and desire.