L'Evenement au Bal (The Event at the Ball, from from Monument du Costume Physique et Moral de la fin du Dix-huitième siècle)
Medium
Engraving with etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 27.6 × 22 cm (10 7/8 × 8 11/16 in.); Plate: 40.8 × 32.2 cm (16 1/8 × 12 11/16 in.); Sheet, folded: 54 × 41.2 cm (21 5/16 × 16 1/4 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
30143
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
L'Evenement au captures a lively moment at an 18th-century French ball, where fashion, manners, and social drama intersect. Created by Antoine-Jean Duclos in 1774, engraving with etching belongs to the ambitious series Monument du Costume Physique et Moral de la fin du Dix-huitième siècle. The records the elaborate clothing, hairstyles, and gestures of the period just before the French Revolution, offering viewers a glimpse into aristocratic leisure and etiquette. As part of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Prints and Drawings collection, the work highlights the importance of reproductive printmaking in disseminating images of contemporary life. Duclos’s precise line work and tonal effects bring depth to the scene, allowing the intricate details of silk gowns and powdered wigs to shine even on ivory laid paper. Such prints served both as fashionable souvenirs and as subtle commentaries on the customs of the day. Measuring roughly 28 by 22 centimeters in the image area, the sheet invites close looking. Visitors can appreciate how Duclos balanced narrative interest with documentary precision, preserving the fleeting world of courtly balls for future generations.