Design: Hands, from Encyclopédie

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching and engraving by Benoît-Louis Prévost captures a study of hands, originally created as a plate for the monumental *Encyclopédie* (1762–1777). Compiled under the direction of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert, the *Encyclopédie* sought to organize and share practical knowledge across the arts and sciences during the Enlightenment. Prévost’s illustration would have served an educational purpose, demonstrating techniques of drawing or design for readers eager to master the fundamentals of artistic practice. The choice of etching combined with engraving allowed for crisp lines and fine detail, making the image reproducible for thousands of subscribers across Europe. Printed on cream laid paper, the work exemplifies the period’s emphasis on clarity and precision in scientific and instructional imagery. Today, this sheet in the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection invites visitors to appreciate how such prints helped democratize artistic instruction in the eighteenth century.