Artwork Page for The Indiscretion

Details / Information for The Indiscretion

The Indiscretion

1788

Jean François Janinet

(French, 1752–1814)

after Nicolas Lavreince

(Swedish)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
Color wash-manner engraving and etching
Support
Laid paper with watermark
Measurements
Sheet: 57.6 x 43 cm (22 11/16 x 16 15/16 in.); Platemark: 48.3 x 36.2 cm (19 x 14 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 2001.18
Catalogue raisonné
Portalis and Béraldi 41, Bocher 30 (Inventaire du Fonds Français 28, state III/IV)
State
II/III
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print

Description

The Indiscretion is from a suite of three scenes of women sharing secrets in the privacy of their boudoirs. The woman wearing a decadent hat has taken a love letter from the girl in white, who pleads with her older companion to give it back. Janinet refined the tools used in chalk-manner printmaking to create wash-manner etchings and engravings that imitate opaque watercolors, such as The Lover’s Visit and The Surprised Lovers on view nearby.
A vertically oriented wash-manner engraving depicts two women in an 18th-century interior. Left, a woman in a white ruffled dress crouches, reaching toward a standing woman on the right. This figure wears a red bodice, blue skirt, and feathered hat, holding a small paper. Behind them, a tall bed draped with a blue canopy stands against a wall featuring fluted columns. A patterned rug and side table complete the scene.

The Indiscretion

1788

Jean François Janinet, Nicolas Lavreince

(French, 1752–1814), (Swedish)
France, 18th century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork