Les Baignets (The Fritters)
1782
Medium
Engraving in black ink on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 26.9 × 30.5 cm (10 5/8 × 12 1/16 in.); Plate: 29 × 32.5 cm (11 7/16 × 12 13/16 in.); Sheet: 37 × 41.4 cm (14 5/8 × 16 5/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
30036
Art Historical Context
Nicolas Delaunay’s 1782 engraving *Les Baignets (The Fritters)* captures a lively moment of everyday French life through the meticulous art of printmaking. Created during the final decades of the ancien régime, the work reflects the period’s growing interest in genre scenes that celebrated ordinary people and activities. Delaunay, a skilled French engraver, translated a painted composition into black ink on ivory laid paper, allowing the image to reach a broader audience beyond the original canvas. The medium itself holds special significance. Engravings and etchings like this one were essent...