Design for a Frontispiece 1782

Claude Louis Châtelet created this design for a frontispiece using pen and gray ink, with gray wash and watercolor. It’s a fine example of the kind of drawing that circulated widely in the 18th century, as part of a burgeoning print market. You see a romantic landscape, complete with classical ruins. The architecture is drawn with a draftsman’s precision, while the trees and foliage are freely rendered with delicate washes. Look closely, and you’ll see that the entire scene has been built up from a series of fine strokes. The layered application of ink and watercolor speaks to a careful, methodical process, quite at odds with the supposed spontaneity of the picturesque scene. Consider the labor involved in producing such a drawing, and then reproducing it as a print. Many hands would have been involved, from the initial design to the final impression. By understanding the making of this image, we can appreciate its full social and economic context.