La querelle des chiens et des chats et celle des chats et des souris (The Quarrel of Cats and Dogs, and that of Cats and Mice)

Art Historical Context

This hand-colored etching captures a lively scene of animal rivalries, titled *The Quarrel of Cats and Dogs, and that of Cats and Mice*. Created by Johann Christoph Teucher after a design by the renowned French artist Jean-Baptiste Oudry and published in 1759, the print draws from 18th-century interest in moral fables. Oudry, celebrated for his Rococo animal paintings, often depicted beasts with expressive personalities to illustrate tales of conflict and harmony, reflecting Enlightenment-era fascination with nature and human behavior. The medium of hand-colored etching allowed such works to ...