Jongeman biedt een meisje eieren uit een eendennest aan 1744 - 1781

Jean Baptist Leprince created this delicate etching, “Young man offers a girl eggs from a duck's nest” sometime in the 18th century. It presents a pastoral scene, rendered in sanguine ink, depicting courtship and the everyday social dynamics of the French Rococo era. Here, class and gender intersect in a complex choreography. The young man, positioned lower, offers his gift, while the young woman gestures, perhaps directing or demurring. Their interaction speaks volumes about the expected roles of men and women and the subtle negotiations of power within courtship rituals. Leprince captures a fleeting moment, charged with the unspoken rules of engagement and social expectations. The artist uses the print medium to render the softness of the Rococo style, while referencing the emotional and personal dimensions of societal expectations around gender and class.