Study of a Reclining Nude 1736 - 1800

Jean Edme Nochez made this print, "Study of a Reclining Nude," in the late 1700s. It's an engraving, meaning the artist would have used a tool called a burin to incise lines into a copper plate, which was then inked and printed. The image itself is based on a drawing by François Boucher, a leading painter in the court of Louis XV. Nochez was thus working in a reproductive mode, translating Boucher’s original into a different medium. Note the fine network of lines, all carefully placed to create the illusion of light and shadow. This was a highly skilled process, demanding years of training. Prints like this were made to circulate widely, making art accessible to a broader public. They also demonstrate the division of labor in the art world: Boucher made the drawing, Nochez the print, and others would have been involved in the printing and distribution. So, even this seemingly simple image is actually the product of a complex social and economic system.