The Little Philosopher
Medium
Etching in brown-black on ivory Japanese paper
Dimensions
Plate: 7.8 × 8.9 cm (3 1/8 × 3 9/16 in.); Sheet: 9.5 × 10.8 cm (3 3/4 × 4 5/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
141430
Art Historical Context
In the Prints and Drawings department of the Institute of Chicago resides *The Little Philosopher*, delicate 1778 etching by French artist Jean-Pierre Norblin de Gourdaine. Measuring just 7.8 × 8.9 cm on its plate, this intimate work captures a moment of youthful contemplation, rendered in warm brown-black ink on luxurious ivory Japanese paper. Norblin, an accomplished engraver and painter active during the late Enlightenment, was known for his precise, evocative prints that bridged Rococo elegance with emerging genre scenes. Etching, Norblin's chosen medium here, involves drawing into a wax-...