Design: Ovals, from Encyclopédie 1762 - 1777

This 18th-century engraving by French artist Benoît Louis Prévost, titled “Design: Ovals,” from the Encyclopédie, presents a series of nine human heads, each depicted from a different angle. The heads are marked with precise geometric lines, outlining the shape of the ovals and dividing the features into sections for accurate representation. This anatomical study, demonstrating the principle of human proportions through geometric shapes, exemplifies the Enlightenment era’s fascination with reason, order, and scientific method.