Premier et Deuxième Recueil de Chiffres 1770

Curator: Look at this delicate image. This is "Premier et Deuxième Recueil de Chiffres" created around 1770, currently housed here at the Art Institute of Chicago. It’s an etching on paper, a lovely example of late 18th-century graphic art by Clément Pierre Marillier. Editor: It has such a poised, ornamental feel. The composition is quite interesting with that scroll framed by foliage. Is it some kind of royal decree or announcement? Curator: In a sense, yes. The scroll contains the title, translating to “First and Second Collection of Figures.” These "chiffres" weren't numerical figures but elaborate monograms—a very fashionable form of personal emblem among the aristocracy and upper middle class at the time. Note the crown, which suggests a courtly origin. Editor: Ah, monograms as a symbol of status! I’m struck by the way the foliage curls around the scroll; its delicate asymmetry is so refined. What cultural currents were feeding this aesthetic? Curator: This monogram mania speaks to the wider obsession with identity and personal branding in the pre-revolutionary era. Think of elaborate coats of arms and personalised tableware. These symbols carried deep social meaning. Marillier, the artist, catered to the courtly desires to visually assert personal power and lineage in very stylised forms. It's quite a feat how etching could disseminate symbols of elitism so efficiently. Editor: Indeed! There's something inherently democratic about the dissemination of these otherwise rarefied emblems. Yet it's easy to imagine these monograms embossed in gold on the binding of some precious volume. Did such personalised monograms often reflect individual psychology, or merely class identity? Curator: Often, a bit of both, but, yes, some clients insisted that monograms reflected key biographical dates or elements of personal history. Editor: I appreciate the delicate use of line in the floral designs and scrollwork, so balanced and intentional. It's an object designed for delight and display. Curator: Absolutely. And knowing these images circulated so widely among a class obsessed with signs and symbolism really unlocks another level of appreciation. Editor: Definitely food for thought. It is indeed a gorgeous piece. Curator: Thank you for this conversation!