Designs for Plates Taken from Oudry's Illustrations to La Fontaine's Fables
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet: 11 7/16 x 6 9/16 in. (29 x 16.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1955
Accession Number
55.514.14(a,b)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This etching, titled *Designs for Plates Taken Oudry's Illustrations to La Fontaine'sables*, captures the whimsical spirit of 18th-century French decorative arts. Created anonymously after 1755 by an artist inspired by Jean-Baptiste Oudry's illustrations, it adapts lively scenes of animals, birds, and—hallmarks of Jean de La Fontaine's moralistic fables—for practical use on dinner plates. Oudry, a master Rococo painter celebrated for his vibrant animal depictions, had earlier produced opulent tapestries and based on these 17th-century tales, making his designs highly influential. Etching, the...
About the Artist
Jean-Baptiste Oudry|Anonymous, 18th century · 1686–1755
Comment on works: Fish; Game; Dogs; Hunt scenes