Rustende herten

About this artwork

blad: hoogte 201 mm x breedte 276 mm

Art Historical Context

**Rustende Herten (Resting Deer)** Gilles Demarteau Elder (1722–6), a masterful engraver from the Southern Netherlands active in Paris, created this charming etching titled *Rustende Herten* sometime between 1732 and 1776. Measuring 201 mm high by 276 mm wide, print captures a serene moment of deer at rest, evoking the pastoral tranquility popular in 18th-century art. Demarteau, renowned for his reproductive prints after leading Rococo painters like François Boucher, brought technical precision to scenes of nature and wildlife, making fine art accessible through affordable prints. Etching, Demarteau's favored medium, involves drawing acid-resistant lines on a metal plate, immersing it in acid to etch the grooves, and then inking and printing. This intaglio technique allowed for delicate, expressive lines that convey texture—from the deer's soft fur to subtle landscape details—showcasing Demarteau's skill in tonal variation and depth. In an era before photography, etchings like this preserved and disseminated naturalistic motifs for collectors and enthusiasts. This work reflects the Enlightenment-era fascination with the natural world, blending Rococo elegance with emerging scientific observation of animals. As a product of Demarteau's innovative studio, it highlights printmaking's role in democratizing art, inviting 18th-century viewers (and us today) to pause and appreciate wildlife's quiet grace.

About the Artist

Gilles Demarteau · 1729–1776

Gilles Demarteau the Elder, born on January 19, 1722, in Liège, began his career steeped in the craft of metalwork. The son of a gunsmith, he learned engraving and goldsmithing from his father before moving to Paris around 1748–1750 to join his brother, who worked as a goldsmith for the engraver De Lacollombe, renowned for firearm ornament designs. Demarteau trained in De Lacollombe's workshop as ...