Seal Engraving, from Encyclopédie
1762/77
Medium
Engraving on cream laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 31.1 × 20.5 cm (12 1/4 × 8 1/8 in.); Plate: 35.5 × 22.8 cm (14 × 9 in.); Sheet: 39 × 25 cm (15 3/8 × 9 7/8 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
148199
Art Historical Context
Benoît-Louis Prévost's *Seal Engraving, fromédie* (1762/77) the meticulous craft of sigillography during the Enlightenment era. Created as an illustration for Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert's groundbreaking *Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné sciences, des arts et métiers*—a monumental 28-volume compendium published between 1751 and 1772—this etching exemplifies the project's mission to document and democratize knowledge of trades and techniques. Prévost, a skilled French engraver active in Paris, contributed numerous precise plates to the work, blending artistry with scientific...