Preparatory Exercises, from Encyclopédie

Art Historical Context

This engraving, titled *Preparatory Exercises* and created by the artist Aubin in 1760, originates from the celebrated *Encyclopédie*, ambitious French reference work edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Abert. Published during the height of the Enlightenment, the *Encyclopédie* sought to compile and disseminate all branches of human knowledge through both text and detailed illustrations. Aubin’s contribution captures a moment of instruction or practice, rendered with the precise line work characteristic of 18th-century engraving. Engraving on laid paper was the ideal medium for such ed...