Le Petit Jour (Morning)
1780
Medium
Engraving and etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 28.9 × 21.7 cm (11 7/16 × 8 9/16 in.); Sheet: 37.2 × 27.2 cm (14 11/16 × 10 3/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
30218
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Nicolas Delaunay’s *Le Petit Jour (Morning)*, created in 1780, exemplifies the refined printmaking traditions of late eighteenth-century France Working in engraving and etching on ivory laid paper, Delaunay produced an image that evokes the gentle awakening of dawn, a theme popular in the period’s decorative and allegorical art. As a reproductive print, the work would have allowed a wider audience to enjoy compositions originally painted for private patrons. Prints such as this one played an important role in disseminating artistic imagery during the Enlightenment. Combining the precise lines...