Jean-François Janinet (French, 1752-1814)

Jean-Francois Janinet (French, 1752-1814) Vertumnus and Pomona (after Antoine Coypel), about 1776 Lavis-manner color etching and engraving with printed gold borders GIft of Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Milne in memory of Leona E. Prasse 1987.90	In 1774 Louis-Marin Bonnet developed a technical innovation; a printed gold leaf border. Janinet, who had been Bonnet's student, adopted this practice but since the use of gold leaf by printmakers was illegal (they were not among the trades officially allowed to use it), the two artists only produced about 20 prints with gold frames before they were caught by authorities.
Jean-Francois Janinet (French, 1752-1814) The Indiscretion (after Nicolas Lavreince), 1788 Lavis-manner color engraving and etching John L. Severance Fund 2001.18	From the 1760s intimate boudoir scenes became a favorite with rich Parisians. The Indiscretion, where two young women fight for possession of a love letter, is part of series that also includes The Comparision and The Embarrassing Confession, also frivolous scenes of young women in elegant bedrooms. The Swedish miniaturist Niclas Lafrensen arrived in Paris arrived in Paris in 1774, and under the French name Nicolas Lavreince supplied gouaches of titillating images to printmakers. Janinet is unmatched in his ability to reproduce the nuances of Lavreince's subtle palette and in fact improved upon the original by translating the heavier opaque gouaches into the more delicate transparent washes of lavis-manner engraving and etching.

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