Les poussins

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso midden onder, gestempeld: Lugt 2228

Art Historical Context

"Les Poussins" is a delicate print created by the French engraver Gilles Demarteau between 1756 and 1776. Executed in the crayon manner, a specialized technique that imitates the soft lines and tonal qualities of chalk or pastel drawings, the work measures just 232 by 165 millimeters. This intimate scale invites close viewing, revealing the fine gradations Demarteau achieved through stippling and patterned lines that mimic hand-drawn strokes. Demarteau played a key role in popularizing the crayon manner during the mid-to-late eighteenth century, a period when prints helped circulate artistic ...

About the Artist

Gilles Demarteau · 1729–1776

Gilles Demarteau the Elder, born on January 19, 1722, in Liège, began his career steeped in the craft of metalwork. The son of a gunsmith, he learned engraving and goldsmithing from his father before moving to Paris around 1748–1750 to join his brother, who worked as a goldsmith for the engraver De Lacollombe, renowned for firearm ornament designs. Demarteau trained in De Lacollombe's workshop as ...