Caricature Showing Louis XVI as a Ram 1700 - 1800

This is an engraving depicting Louis XVI as a ram, made by an anonymous artist. The printmaking process requires considerable planning, and physical work. The image would have begun as a drawing, and then been transferred to a copper plate. The lines you see were carefully incised into the metal, using a tool called a burin. Ink was then applied to the plate, and wiped away from the surface, remaining only in the incised lines. Finally, the plate was pressed against a sheet of paper, transferring the image. The choice of engraving as a medium is significant, because it allowed for the relatively easy reproduction of images. This was crucial for the dissemination of political satire during the French Revolution. The image of Louis XVI as a ram, with its connotations of stubbornness and foolishness, would have been widely circulated. The print is a potent symbol of the revolutionary fervor that swept France, and of the power of art to shape public opinion.