The Maker of Scales

Jean Michel Moreau the Younger

n.d. · Pen and black ink, brush and brown and gray wash, and graphite · Drawings and Prints

Denis Diderot (1713–1784) and Jean le Rond d’Alembert’s (1717–1783) Encyclopédie, volumes of which appeared from 1751 to 1772, was a landmark publication presenting thought and knowledge on a broad swath of subjects. As part of the undertaking, many artists were employed to supply illustrations for articles on the arts and trades (arts et métiers), ultimately forming a visual compendium of the occupations and manufacturing industries of Enlightenment France. Moreau le Jeune’s drawing depicts the interior of a shop where scales were manufactured. The storefront opens directly onto a sunlit street, giving a sense not only of the tools and technical details but of daily life in the French capital.

Artist

Jean Michel Moreau the Younger

Date

n.d.

Medium

Pen and black ink, brush and brown and gray wash, and graphite

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Purchase, Charles and Jessie Price and Stephen A. Geiger Gifts, 2004