Artwork
Les Graces (The Graces)
Les Graces (The Graces) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist François-Philippe Charpentier. It dates from 1766 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:In plate, in image, at lower left: Franciscus Boucher Primus Pictor Regius invenit; in plate, in image, at lower right: Franciscus Philippus Charpentier Bleseas sculpsit; in plate, below image at center: LES GRACES / A Paris chez Basan
About this work
Overview
Les Graces (The Graces) is a print created by François-Philippe Charpentier in 1766 using etching and aquatint techniques on laid paper.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts three entwined, naked figures, one holding a child, amidst a cloudy or stormy background. The title suggests they represent the Graces, figures associated with kindness and beauty in mythological narratives.
Technique & Style
Charpentier employed a combination of etching and aquatint to achieve a soft, textured effect. The print's brown color and lack of sharp edges contribute to its dreamy, sketch-like quality.
History & Provenance
François-Philippe Charpentier, a French engraver and inventor, created the print. He was known for his technical innovations, including a mechanical aquatint process, and trained under a Parisian copperplate engraver after leaving a Jesuit college.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
François-Philippe Charpentier (b. Blois, 1734; d. there 22 July 1817) was a French engraver and inventor. His father was a bookbinder, a poor man who reportedly made many sacrifices so that his son might attend the…
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