A Femme avare galant Escroc, from "Contes et nouvelles en vers par Jean de La Fontaine. A Paris, de l'imprimerie de P. Didot, l'an III de la République, 1795" 1790 - 1800

Jacques Aliamet engraved this image from “Contes et nouvelles en vers par Jean de La Fontaine” in Paris around 1795, capturing a scene of courtship or perhaps deception. The central motif is the interaction between the figures: a woman and a man, locked in an embrace that speaks volumes. The amorous man grasps at the woman, whilst the woman is holding on to his wrist in what appears to be a gesture of restraint. This dynamic gesture has echoes across centuries, from classical depictions of wrestling gods to Renaissance portrayals of lovers. Think of the wrestling match between Eros and Psyche, and how these figures intertwine. Even in Bernini's sculptures, that same gesture is seen in his Apollo and Daphne, capturing a moment of desperate pursuit and elusive resistance. The gesture speaks to a primal dance of attraction and aversion, forever re-emerging in art. It reveals the deep human drama of desire and control, a subconscious echo that connects us across time through the language of images.