Le Billet doux
Medium
Etching and engraving
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1954
Accession Number
54.533.19
Tags
Art Historical Context
Created in 1778, *Le Billet doux* (“The Sweet Note”) captures a charming moment of courtship within an elegant interior. The scene features men and women gathered around musical instruments, suggesting a refined social setting where a love letter discreetly between figures. This intimate exchange reflects the playful rituals of 18th-century European high society, where music, conversation, and flirtation intertwined. Executed as an etching and engraving, the print showcases the delicate line work and tonal subtlety typical of the period’s reproductive techniques. Such prints allowed artists t...
About the Artist
Nicolas de Launay|Nicolas Lafrensen (called Nicolas Laureince) (French|French|French) · 1732 |1739 |1739 –1806 |1792 |1792
French, Grasse 1732–1806 Paris|French, Paris, 1739–1792|French, Paris, 1739–1792