Protection accordée aux beaux-arts 1663 (Protection Granted to the Fine Arts 1663) [pl. 24]

The composition presents an allegorical celebration of state support for the visual arts. The central dignitary, likely representing a patron or sovereign, is flanked by personifications of strength and creativity who bear symbols of artistic practice. The title’s reference to the year 1663 suggests a historical decree or edict granting protection to artists, rendered here as a timeless ideal rather than a specific event.

Massé combined etching with engraving to achieve both delicate line work and crisp, deep incisions. The laid‑paper substrate enhances the texture of the print, while the intricate borders and ornamental motifs reflect the Rococo taste for elaborate decoration. The interplay of fine hatching and bold outlines creates a sense of depth, especially in the muscular figures that appear to rise above the pictorial plane.

The print forms part of Massé’s *Galerie de Versailles*, a series produced between 1732 and 1753 that reproduced Charles Le Brun’s designs for the royal palace. As a court painter to Louis XV, Massé contributed to the dissemination of official artistic programs. The work later entered museum collections as an example of mid‑18th‑century French printmaking and of the collaborative networks that linked artists such as Jean‑Étienne Liotard and Cornelius Høyer to the royal atelier.