Various Rounded-Style Calligraphy, 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
148219
Art Historical Context
Step into the Enlightenment with *Various Rounded-Style Calligraphy from Encyclopédie* (1760), an exquisite engraving by Aubin. This plate hails from Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert groundbreaking *Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné sciences, des arts et métiers*, a monumental 18th-century project that sought to catalog all human knowledge. Published in France during a time of intellectual fervor, it featured over 2,500 detailed illustrations like this one, making complex trades accessible to a wide audience. The artwork showcases samples of "ronde" calligraphy—a elegant, rounde...