Jacques-Philippe Le Bas, or Lebas (8 July 1707,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

– 14 April 1783, Paris) was a French engraver, head of the largest engraving workshop in Paris during the 18th century.

Life and work

His father was a

wig-maker A wig is a head or hair accessory made from human hair, animal hair, or synthetic fiber. The word wig is short for periwig, which makes its earliest known appearance in the English language in William Shakespeare's ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona' ...

, and his family was very poor, so he was educated by his mother. When he showed some aptitude for drawing, she placed him in an apprenticeship with the architect and engraver, Roger Portalis, Henri Beraldi: ''Les Graveurs du dix-huitième siècle'', Vol.2, Damascène Morgand & Charles Fatout, 1881
Online
He also received professional advice from

Nicolas-Henri Tardieu Nicolas-Henri Tardieu, called the "Tardieu the elder", (18 January 1674 - 27 January 1749) was a prominent French engraver, known for his sensitive reproductions of Antoine Watteau's paintings. He was appointed ''graveur du roi'' (King's Engraver) ...

, and was inspired by the works of

Gérard Audran Gérard Audran (or Girard Audran) (2 August 164026 July 1703), was a French engraver of the Audran family, the third son of Claude Audran. Life He was born in Lyon and was taught the first principles of design and engraving by his father. Foll ...

.M. Huber et Rost, ''Manuel des curieux et des amateurs de l'art'', Vol.VIII : ''De la gravure en France'' II, pp.124-130 —
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Through Tardieu, he met the financier and art collector,

Pierre Crozat Pierre Crozat (1665–1740) was a French financier, art patron and collector at the center of a broad circle of ''cognoscenti''; he was the brother of Antoine Crozat. Biography The brothers Crozat were born in Toulouse, France, the sons of a we ...

, who was engaged in a project to have all the paintings in his collection engraved. Le Bas was commissioned to provide some of them. In 1733, he was hired by

Charles Parrocel Charles Parrocel (6 May 1688 – 24 May 1752) was a French painter and engraver and a specialist in battle and hunt paintings. Parrocel was born in Paris, and studied under his father, Joseph Parrocel, until his death. Parrocel then became ...

to provide the chapter heading illustrations for ''L'école de Cavalerie'', by

François Robichon de la Guérinière François Robichon de La Guérinière (1688–1751) was a French riding master who had a profound effect on accepted methods for horse training, and one of the most influential writers on the art of dressage. History De La Guérinière w ...

.''Charles Parrocel et les graveurs de "L'école de cavalerie" de François Robichon de la Guérinière''
Online
That same year, he married Élisabeth Duret. Although very beautiful, she came without a dowry, so he suddenly found himself supporting his parents and hers. That was when he conceived the idea of establishing a training workshop.Vivian Lee Atwater, "Les graveurs et la vogue néerlandaise dans le Paris du XVIIIe siècle", Part II. "Le Bas, Teniers et l'idéalisation de la vie paysanne", In: ''Nouvelles de l'estampe'', #142-43, 1995 pp.3-12 This became his primary source of income. His students included most of the famous engravers in France, as well as two Englishmen, Robert Strange and

William Wynne Ryland William Wynne Ryland (1732 or July 173829 August 1783) was an English engraver, who pioneered stipple engraving and was executed for forgery. Life and work Ryland was born in London, the eldest of seven sons of Edward Ryland (died 1771), an ...

, who were sent there by their government on a scholarship. He was considered to be a good-natured teacher, who never scolded anyone. In 1735, the

Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture The Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture (; en, "Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture") was founded in 1648 in Paris, France. It was the premier art institution of France during the latter part of the Ancien Régime until it was abol ...

gave him permission to reproduce the works of its members. He was however, required to submit two portraits, for which he had little talent. He put it off as long as possible, finally submitting them in 1741. They were rejected, his permission was revoked, and he was prevented from becoming an "Engraver to the King". He convinced them to give him another chance, with another genre, received approval to do so, and submitted two "Conversations Galantes", after

Nicolas Lancret Nicolas Lancret (22 January 1690 – 14 September 1743) was a French painter. Born in Paris, he was a brilliant depicter of light comedy which reflected the tastes and manners of French society during the regency of the Duke of Orleans and, late ...

. They were accepted, and he was admitted to the Académie in 1743. Thanks to a recommendation from

Jean-Baptiste Descamps Jean-Baptiste Descamps (; August 28, 1714 – June 30, 1791) was a French writer on art and artists, and painter of village scenes. He later founded an academy of art and his son later became a museum curator. Biography Descamps was born in Du ...

, he also became a member of the

Académie des sciences, belles-lettres et arts de Rouen The Académie des Sciences, Belles-Lettres et Arts de Rouen is a learned society created by letters patent of Louis XV of France, Louis XV on 17 June 1744. The Academy of Rouen got its early start with a few friends with a common appreciation for ...

in 1748. He became an official Advisor to the Académie Royale in 1771, which gave him the right to collect a pension. Élisabeth died in 1781, which left him a depressed state. His financial situation was also poor, due to some bad investments. In 1782, King

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

appointed him Court Engraver to the

Cabinet des Médailles The BnF Museum or Museum of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, formerly known as the Cabinet des Médailles, is a significant art and history museum in Paris. It displays collections of the ''Département des Monnaies, Médailles et Antiques ...

, which helped somewhat. The last person to see him, his friend the art dealer,

François-Charles Joullain François-Charles Joullain ( – 1790) was a French art dealer, son of François Joullain, a respected 18th century engraver, publisher and art dealer. The careers of the father and son as merchants of paintings expanded from their roles as prin ...

, found him unable to fulfill his last commission. He died, aged seventy-five, in 1783.

Selected works

* ''The works of mercy'', large intaglio plate after David Teniers; * ''L’Enfant prodigue'', pendant to ''The Works of Pity'', after Teniers; * A follow-up to ''Fêtes de village'', in intaglio; * ''Le Sanglier féroce'', large intaglio plate after

Philips Wouwerman Philips Wouwerman (also Wouwermans) (24 May 1619 (baptized) – 19 May 1668) was a Dutch painter of hunting, landscape and battle scenes. Life and work Philips Wouwerman was one of the most versatile and prolific artists of the Dutch Golden ...

; * ''La Chasse à l’italienne'' and ''le Pot au lait'', two large intaglio plates after Wouvermans, as a pendant; * ''Le Départ de la chasse''; ''la Prise du héron'', two intaglio plates as a pendant, after Carel Van Falens; * ''Le Rendez-vous de chasse''; ''l’Heureux Chasseur'', two plates after the former; * ''L’Alliance de Bacchus et de Venus'', medium plate after Noël Nicolas Coypel
File:Le Bas Colin-Maillard.png,

Blind man's buff Blind man's buff or blind man's bluff is a variant of tag in which the player who is "It" is blindfolded. The traditional name of the game is "blind man's buff", where the word ''buff'' is used in its older sense of a small push. Gameplay Blin ...

; an original by Le Bas File:Représentation de l'arrivée de la descente du roi Louis XV devant le principal portail de l'église cathédrale de Strasbourg.jpg, The Arrival of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

Strasbourg Cathedral Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg, or ''Cathédrale de Strasbourg'', german: Liebfrauenmünster zu Straßburg or ''Straßburger Münster''), also known as Strasbourg ...

, from a drawing by File:LeBas-Water.jpg, Water (from "The Four Elements"), after

Teniers Teniers is a Dutch language surname. It may refer to: *Abraham Teniers (1629–1670), Flemish painter *David Teniers the Elder David Teniers the Elder (158229 July 1649), Flemish painter, was born at Antwerp. Biography Having received his fi ...

File:Jean Denis Attiret - Victory at Heluo Heshi- from Battle Scenes of the Quelling of Rebellions in - 1998.103.4 - Cleveland Museum of Art.jpg, The Victory of Khorgos, one of the

Ten Great Campaigns The Ten Great Campaigns () were a series of military campaigns launched by the Qing dynasty of China in the mid–late 18th century during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (r. 1735–1796). They included three to enlarge the area of Qing contro ...

, from a drawing by Attiret File:'Gallant conversation' (Conversation galante)- couples engage in conversation in a garden setting, at left a musician plays for the group, at right a woman holds a reclining lap dog MET DP831908.jpg, Conversation Galante,
after Lancret

References

Ferdinand Hoefer Jean Chrétien Ferdinand Hoefer (German: ''Ferdinand Höfer'', 21 April 1811, Döschnitz – 4 May 1878) was a German-French physician and lexicographer. He is now known for his many works on the history of science. Selected works *''Élément ...

(Ed.)
''Nouvelle Biographie générale'', volume 30
(Paris, Firmin-Didot, 1852) p. 65.

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Bas 1707 births 1783 deaths 18th-century engravers French engravers Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture Artists from Paris

Life and work

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links