History and Gentleness, Pl. 79 — Nouvelle Iconologie Historique

A hand-coloured engraving by Jean-Charles Delafosse, pairing allegories of History and Gentleness within elaborate neoclassical cartouches.

Original French title: L'Histoire and Mansuétude. Drawn and engraved by Jean-Charles Delafosse. From Nouvelle Iconologie Historique ou Attributs Hiéroglyphiques, Plate 79, Livre huitième. Published in Paris, c. 1768.

Delafosse was a pivotal figure in the goût grec, the early Neoclassical turn in French decorative art. His Iconologie supplied architects, sculptors, and ornemanistes with an encyclopaedic vocabulary of allegorical attributes and hieroglyphic emblems, and it remained a touchstone for designers of Louis XVI interiors and Empire ornament alike.

Hand-coloured copperplate engraving. Sheet size approximately 45.9 × 34.1 cm. Very Good.