6 Antique Prints-MASONRY-BRICK LAYING-ARCHTECTURE-Diderot-Benard-c. 1750

‘Maconnerie (…)’

etching / engraving on hand laid (verge) paper.
Sheet size: 21,5 x 28,5 cm. (8,5 x 11,2 inch). Image size: 16 x 23,5 cm. (6,3 x 9,3 inch).

This old antique print originates from: ‘The Encyclopédie ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, par une Société de Gens de lettres.’ which was published under the direction of Diderot and d’Alembert, with 17 volumes of text and 11 volumes of plates between 1751 and 1772. It contained 72,000 articles written by more than 140 contributors. This encyclopdia was a massive reference work for the arts and sciences, as well as a means to propagate the ideas of the French Enlightment. The impact of this encyclopedia was enormous.

Made by ‘Robert Benard’ after ‘Diderot’. Robert Benard (1734 – 1777) was an 18th-century French engraver. Robert Bénard is mainly famous for having supplied a significant amount of plates (at least 1,800) to the Encyclopédie by Diderot & d’Alembert from 1751. Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was a French philosopher, art critic and writer. Jean le Rond d’Alembert (1717-1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist and philosopher.

Condition: Very good, given age. A few minor spots. General age-related toning and/or occasional minor defects from handling. Please study scan carefully.

Keywords: MASONRY-BRICK LAYING-ARCHTECTURE

RBOS-A5-04