La Gaiete Conjuale (Conjugal Gaiety)
1783
Medium
Etching and engraving in black ink on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 28.7 × 32.6 cm (11 5/16 × 12 7/8 in.); Sheet: 29.5 × 33.7 cm (11 5/8 × 13 5/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
30033
Art Historical Context
Nicolas Delaunay’s *La Gaieté Conjugale (Conjugal Gaiety)*, created in 1783, offers a charming glimpse late eighteenth-century French domestic life. Executed as an etching and engraving in black ink on ivory laid paper, the print demonstrates the refined reproductive techniques popular among Parisian printmakers of the period. Such works often translated paintings into accessible multiples, allowing a broader audience to enjoy scenes of everyday pleasure and moral sentiment. Delaunay’s precise line work and tonal shading bring warmth and liveliness to the composition, emphasizing the joyful i...