La Naissance

Art Historical Context

**La Naissance (The Birth), ca. 1744** Step into the intimate world of 18th France with *La Naissance*, a engraving that captures the tender moment of childbirth in a cozy bedroom setting. Created around 1744, this print features a collaborative effort by French artists Bernard Lepicié and Louis Surugue (gravers), Michel François Dandré-B (likely the designer), and Jean-J Baléchou (publisher Rendered in the elegant Rococo style, it showcases women tending to a newborn infant, evoking the era's fascination with domestic intimacy and maternal joy amid ornate interiors. As an engraving on a trimmed sheet measuring 14 9/16 × 10 1/16 inches, the work exemplifies the technical mastery of intaglio printing. Fine lines and rich tonal contrasts allowed engravers to replicate paintings with remarkable fidelity, making high art accessible to a wider audience through affordable reproductions. This medium flourished in Enlightenment-era Paris, where prints like this one disseminated fashionable scenes from salons to collectors' homes. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1953), *La Naissance* reflects Rococo's celebration of everyday grace and emotion, offering a glimpse into pre-modern birthing rituals surrounded by supportive female figures. A delightful window into 18th-century life! (198 words)

About the Artist

Bernard Lepicié|Louis Surugue|Michel François Dandré-Bardon|Jean-Joseph Baléchou (French|French|French) · 1699 |1698 |1698 –1779 |1755 |1755

French, Paris 1699–1779 Paris|French, Paris 1698–1755 Paris|French, Paris 1698–1755 Paris