Perfect Harmony (L'accord parfait)
Artist
Isidore-Stanislaus-Henri Helman
(French, born 1743, died 1806–1809)
Artistafter
Jean-Michel Moreau le Jeune
(French, 1741–1814)
Date1777
Mediumetching, engraving, drypoint, and roulette on cream laid paper
Dimensionssheet: 34.7 × 27.5 cm (13 11/16 × 10 13/16 in.)
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineGift of Helen C. Lamborn
Object number1987.22
Label TextMoreau le Jeune’s Monument du costume physique et moral, is the most famous illustration of the style, manners, and morals within the aristocratic ancien régime. Perfect Harmony is part of a series visually narrating the life of the virtuous and fashionable Céphise. She personifies the ideal woman prescribed by eighteenth-century philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. After a privileged upbringing and advantageous marriage, she gives birth and assumes the life of a dutiful mother. This plate marks Céphise’s return to court society after her pregnancy, at which time she dismisses the advances of a flirtatious instructor. ProvenanceHelen C. LambornOn View
Not on view
