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 depicts three individuals in an ornate room. In the center, a man is slightly bent forward, holding the hand of a seated woman on the right. The man has curly, shoulder-length hair tied back and is dressed in a period-style coat, waistcoat, knee breeches, and shoes with buckles. The seated woman has a braided updo adorned with feathers, wearing an elaborately decorated gown among musical instruments. The third individual, another seated woman on the left, is reading a document. She wears a similar period gown with elaborate detail and styled hair. The room features classical architectural elements, such as grand columns and arches, with a highly decorative wall, sconces, and relief sculptures. An elaborate coat of arms flanked by lions is visible in the foreground.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and engraving

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.2397

  • 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

Q64960756

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