Copperplate Engraving, from Encyclopédie

Art Historical Context

This exquisite copperplate engraving by A. J. Defehrt, created between 1762 and 1777, hails from the groundbreaking *Encyclopédie*, edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert. Published in France during the Enlightenment, this 28-volume compendium (with 11 volumes of plates) sought to catalog all human knowledge, challenging traditional authority and promoting reason, science, and industry. Defehrt's print exemplifies the collaborative effort of artists, scientists, and artisans who produced over 2,500 intricate illustrations to visually explain everything from mechanics to anatomy. Crafted via etching—where acid bites designs into a copper plate—combined with fine engraving lines and stipple dotting for subtle tonal gradations, the work is printed on cream laid paper, a period staple for its durability and texture. These techniques allowed for precise, reproducible details that brought abstract concepts to life, making complex ideas accessible to a wide audience. At 32 × 20.8 cm, the image captures the era's obsession with empirical observation. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints and Drawings department, this piece highlights printmaking's revolutionary role in democratizing knowledge, influencing education and innovation long after the *Encyclopédie*'s controversial suppression. A testament to 18th-century ingenuity!

About the Artist

A. J. Defehrt · 1708–1779

A. J. Defehrt (1723–1779) was a French draftsman, painter, and engraver whose career is best defined by his substantial contributions to one of the most ambitious publishing projects of the European Enlightenment: the illustrated plates of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert's Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers. This monumental project, which aimed t...