Round Letters of the Alphabet, from Encyclopédie
1760
Medium
Engraving on cream laid paper
Dimensions
40 × 26 cm (15 3/4 × 10 1/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
148214
Art Historical Context
Step into the Enlightenment era with *Round Letters of the Alphabet*, an exquisite engraving by Aubin from Denis Diderot's groundbreaking *Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers* (1751–1772). Published in 1760, this plate exemplifies the project's mission to democratize knowledge through meticulously illustrated volumes, covering everything from philosophy to printing techniques. Amid France's intellectual fervor, the *Encyclopédie* challenged censorship and promoted rational inquiry, with over 2,500 plates like this one capturing the precision of 18th-cen...