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Drawing: Expressions of Emotion (Laughter, Weeping, Compassion, Sadness), from Encyclopédie

A work made of etching with engraving on cream laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of etching with engraving on cream laid paper.

Date:

1762/77

Artist:

A. J. Defehrt (French, active 18th century)
after Charles le Brun (French, active 17th century-1765)
published by André le Breton (French, 1708-1779), Michel-Antoine David (French, c. 1707-1769), Laurent Durand (French, 1712-1763), and Antoine-Claude Briasson (French, 1700-1775)

About this artwork

Le Brun’s most active expressions appear at the top of this sheet. His lecture linked the states of laughter and weeping, suggesting that with the exception of laughter’s exposed teeth, they should be drawn in nearly the same way. Sadness, a purer expression than the first two, appears at the bottom right as a “disagreeable languor of the soul.” The compassionate youth at left appears equally subdued by his contemplation of this tragic state.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

A. J. Defehrt

Title

Drawing: Expressions of Emotion (Laughter, Weeping, Compassion, Sadness), from Encyclopédie

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1762–1777

Medium

Etching with engraving on cream laid paper

Dimensions

Image: 31.7 × 20.6 cm (12 1/2 × 8 1/8 in.); Plate: 35 × 22.5 cm (13 13/16 × 8 7/8 in.); Sheet: 40 × 26 cm (15 3/4 × 10 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

The Art Institute of Chicago

Reference Number

1941.133.73

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/148254/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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