Le Billet doux

1778

Nicolas Delaunay after Nicolas Lavreince

Associated Names
Nicolas Delaunay

Artist, French, 1739 - 1792

Nicolas Lavreince

Artist After, Swedish, 1737 - 1807

The image shows three individuals in an ornate interior setting. In the center, a man interacts with two women. The man is standing, his upper body facing one woman while extending his arm towards the other. He has classic features, pulled back hair, and wears an elaborate coat with breeches and knee-high stockings. The seated woman on the right has styled hair, an updo, and wears a voluminous gown. The woman on the left also wears an elaborate gown and holds a fan or booklet. They wear jewelry. The room has rococo architectural elements, including columns and arches, with a mirror and candelabras in the background. A cello and a piano/harpsichord are visible.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.2396

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Portalis/Beraldi 1880, no. 23


Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1944

  • French Prints and Drawings of the XVIIIth Century, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1944-1945, no catalogue.

Bibliography

1880

  • Portalis, baron Roger and Henri Beraldi. Les graveurs du dix-huitieme siecle. 2 parts, 3 vols. each part. Paris, 1880.

1987

  • Taylor, Sean J. "Pendants and Commercial Ploys: Formal and Informal Relationships in the Work of Nicolas Delaunay." Zeitschrift für Kunstgeschicte 50, no 4(1987): 509-538.

Wikidata ID

Q64960754

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