La Maitresse d'ecole
Medium
engraving
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1946.11.34
Art Historical Context
" La Maîtresse d’école " is an engraving created in 1740 by Bernard Lépicié after an original painting by Jean Siméon Chardin. The work captures a quiet domestic scene of a schoolmistress instructing young children, reflecting Chardin’s signature focus on everyday life in eighteenth-century France. As a reproductive print, it translates the subtle textures and soft lighting of Chardin’s oil painting into the precise lines of engraving, allowing the composition to reach a wider audience beyond those who could view the original canvas. Chardin was celebrated during his lifetime for elevating hu...