Jean-Baptiste Huet Print — Pastoral Lovers Engraved by Debucourt

Description

Jean-Baptiste Huet print, engraved by Philibert-Louis Debucourt, depicts a young couple seated in a leafy pastoral setting. Flowers, animals and rural architecture surround the figures, creating an intimate scene of courtship.

The oval composition is set within a rectangular decorative border. Delicate blue colouring highlights parts of the scene and its surround, complementing the fine engraved detail of the figures, costumes and vegetation.

The inscriptions beneath the image read “J. B. Huet peintre du Roy” and “Gravée par De Bucourt. 1789”, identifying the painter responsible for the design and the engraver.

The engraved date, 1789, refers to the plate. This particular impression is on laid paper and probably dates from the first half of the nineteenth century. It is therefore offered as a later impression of an eighteenth-century composition.

The subject reflects the taste for romantic pastoral imagery, combining an idealised countryside setting with a tender encounter between the two figures. Its modest dimensions make it suitable for a collection of French prints or a decorative arrangement devoted to historic genre scenes.

Details:

• After Jean-Baptiste Huet (1745–1811).

• Engraved by Philibert-Louis Debucourt (1755–1832).

• Subject: pastoral courtship scene.

• Engraved plate date: 1789.

• Impression: probably first half of the nineteenth century.

• Medium: coloured engraving on laid paper.

• Sheet dimensions: 26.7 × 19.2 cm.

• Engraved image dimensions: 20 × 16 cm.

Condition: the print has been cleaned. Minor marks and paper irregularities remain visible. Please examine the photographs of the front, reverse and details for an assessment of its condition.

Tags — anglais

Jean-Baptiste Huet, Philibert-Louis Debucourt, French engraving, antique print, galant scene, pastoral scene, romantic art, laid paper, coloured engraving, nineteenth century print, French decorative art, pastoral lovers