The Pleasures of the Countryside
mid to late 18th century
Medium
Chalk manner in red
Dimensions
Sheet: 16 3/4 × 13 11/16 in. (42.5 × 34.8 cm) Plate: 15 3/8 × 11 3/16 in. (39 × 28.4 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, Transferred from the Library, 1923
Accession Number
23.60.34
Tags
Art Historical Context
### The Pleasures of the CountrysideCreated in the mid- to late 18th by French printmakers Louis Marin Bonnet Jean-Baptiste Le Prince,The Pleasures of the Countryside captures the idyllic charm of rural leisure. This enchanting print depicts men and women enjoying music with lutes in a pastoral setting, evoking the era's fascination with Arcadian escapes from urban life. Produced during the Rococo period's twilight in France, it reflects a cultural yearning for simple joys amid growing social changes before the Revolution. The work's medium—chalk manner in red—is a standout innovation. Also c...
About the Artist
Louis Marin Bonnet|Jean-Baptiste Le Prince · 1736–1793
Comment on works: Copper engraver