Le Double Engagement
ca. 1775-1780
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Anonymous Donor
Accession Number
1957-61-37
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Claude-Louis Desrais created *Le Double Engagement* around 1775–1780, during a vibrant period of French printmaking that bridged the Rococo elegance of the mid-eighteenth century and the emerging Neoclassical tastes. As a French artist active in the decades before the Revolution, Desrais contributed to a flourishing culture of graphic art that circulated ideas, fashions, and social commentary across Europe. The title, translating to “The Double Engagement,” hints at a narrative scene likely exploring themes of commitment, perhaps romantic or social, that would have resonated with contemporary ...