Series of Six Illustrations from 'Oeuvres de Molière'

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Engraver Laurent Cars , French, 1699-1771

After François Boucher , French, 1703-1770

Title

Date1734

MediumEtching and engraving on paper

Dimensions

Sheet: 27 x 20 cm

Credit LinePresented, Paul Kenny, 2016

Object numberNGI.2016.22

DescriptionThese prints, etched and engraved by Laurent Cars after designs by François Boucher, once formed part of a six volume series 'Oeuvres de Molière' published in Paris in 1734. The volumes were published in quarto format and included 33 engravings. The six prints illustrate Moliere's most popular comedies: Le Mariage Forcé, 1664; Psyché, 1671; Les Fourberies de Scapin, 1671; La Comtesse d'Escarbagnas, 1671; Les Femmes Savantes, 1672 and Le Malade Imaginaire, 1673. Richly etched, they were removed from a bound volume and sold as loose prints. The titles of works, taken from the printed inscriptions, include original printing errors. As a young man, Boucher joined the workshop of the Parisian engraver Lauren Cars. He created original designs for prints and executed reproductive engravings. Boucher and Laurent Cars (the workshop master's son) worked collaboratively from the 1720s on various publications. The commission to illustrate a deluxe six-volume edition of Moliere's plays was an important one and allowed Boucher to re-interpret the still popular seventeenth century plays for a contemporary audience.