Image
Jeanne Deny, etcher
Description
Maker
- Jeanne Deny, 1749-after 1815, French, etcher
- Charles Leviez, publisher
- After Jean Baptiste Pillement, 1728-1808, French, designer
Title
Year
Medium
Materials/Techniques
-
Materials
Supports
Type
Credit
-
Museum Works of Art Fund
Object Number
-
50.234.6
About
Two asymmetrical structures appear to sprout out of the ground, defying gravity with their impossible balance. Theis work isvpart of a series of French designs informed by inaccurate and distorted views of Chinese ornament. Admired for their delicacy and inventiveness, Pillement’s compositions were frequently etched by other printmakers and were copied on fabric, ceramics, furniture, and wall paintings throughout Europe, spreading the popularity of decorative schemes “in the Chinese style.” The taste for chinoiserie—this exoticized depiction of pseudo-Chinese or Asian-inspired motifs—reached a peak in France in the 1700s, fueled by curiosity sparked by European trade in Asia and a growing availability of Chinese porcelain and textiles made for European markets.