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Concert Méchanique

Joseph de Longueil

1769

ink

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Romanticism 18th Century

Dominant colour

Concert Méchanique is a 1769 ink by Joseph de Longueil, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Joseph de Longueil
When & what style?: 1769 · Romanticism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This etching shows a strange machine drilling into a human head while two figures watch. The machine looks like a dentist’s tool but is way too big. It’s from 1769, when people feared science would hurt more than help. The artist made the scene look real but twisted, maybe to warn folks about progress. Check out more edgy prints by Goya—he did similar unsettling work.