Plate Design for E. Leveille

About this artwork

A member of a French aristocratic family, Count Lepic was himself an artist, a museum curator, and a friend of Edgar Degas. Responding to Bracquemond’s promotion of Japanese aesthetics in porcelain and glass, Lepic created this plate design of a small sailboat at sea.

Art Historical Context

Ludovic Napoléon Lepic's *Plate Design for E. Leveille* (1886/89) is a delicate pen and black ink drawing on cream wove card, measuring 35.4 × 27.8 cm. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, this preparatory work reveals the artist's methodical approach to printmaking during the vibrant late 19th-century French art scene. Lepic, a skilled etcher and close friend of Edgar Degas, was part of the Impressionist circle known for pushing boundaries in graphic arts. This design likely served as a blueprint for an etching plate, demonstrating his precise line work—essential for translating fluid ink strokes into the bitten grooves of intaglio printing. The smooth wove card provided an ideal surface for detailed planning, bridging traditional drawing with innovative reproductive techniques popular among avant-garde artists of the era. What makes this piece intriguing is its glimpse into the collaborative print culture of 1880s Paris, where designs like this fueled publications and portfolios. Lepic's experiments with etching variations echoed Rembrandt's legacy while embracing modernity, inviting visitors to ponder the hidden craftsmanship behind finished prints.