Artist

Jacob Christoph Le Blon

German, 1667–1741

Jacob Christoph Le Blon was a German Rococo painting artist. 2 works are cataloged here, principally at Art Institute of Chicago. Jacob Christoph Le Blon was born in Frankfurt.

Jacob Christoph Le Blon, or Jakob Christoffel Le Blon, (2 May 1667 – 16 May 1741) was a painter and engraver from Frankfurt who invented a halftone color printing system with three and four copper dyes using an RYB color model, which served as the foundation for the modern CMYK system. He used the mezzotint method to engrave three or four copper plates (one each per printing ink) to make prints of paintings and portraits with a wide range of colors.

Collections represented

Catalog records compiled from museum open-access collections; the artworks shown are in the public domain. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.