Gravure à l'Eau Forte, Machine à Balotter: pl. VI
Medium
engraving on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 35.3 x 22.3 cm (13 7/8 x 8 3/4 in.) sheet: 40.2 x 26.3 cm (15 13/16 x 10 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1996.20.7
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 18th-century French, titled *Gravure à l'Eau Forte, Machine à Bal: pl. VI* (Etching, Balloting Machine plate VI), captures a fascinating slice of Enlightenment ingenuity. Created after the designs of engraver Robert Benard between 1771 and 1779, it depicts an intricate mechanical balloting device—likely an early voting machine used for anonymous elections. Such illustrations were common in technical treatises and encyclopedias of the era, reflecting France's booming interest in science, mechanics, and rational governance amid the pre-Revolutionary fervor. The artwork's medium, ...