LâAGRICULTURE
mid- 18thâlate 18th century
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-349-29
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**L’AGRICULTURE** by Jacques Bacheley (French, 1712–1781) is a captivating 18th-century print that celebrates the vital theme of agriculture, a cornerstone of Enlightenment-era thought in France. Created during the mid- to late 1700s, this work reflects the period's growing fascination with rural life and economic productivity, influenced by physiocratic ideas that positioned farming as the foundation of national wealth. Bacheley, a skilled French printmaker, likely employed techniques such as engraving or etching—hallmarks of the Rococo and early Neoclassical styles—to produce intricate, repr...