Design: Facial Anatomy from Encyclopédie
1762/77
Medium
Etching, with engraving, on cream laid paper
Dimensions
40 × 26 cm (15 3/4 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
148239
Art Historical Context
Step into the Enlightenment era with *Design: Facial Anatomy fromédie* (1762/77), an etching with engraving by A. J Defehrt. This print hails from Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert’s groundbreaking *Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers*, a 28-volume compendium published between 1751 and 1772 that sought to democratize knowledge across Europe. Amid its vast scope—from philosophy to mechanics—plates like this one illuminated human anatomy, making complex science accessible through art. Crafted on cream laid paper (40 × 26 cm), Defehrt’s work maste...
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...