Tomb with Sphinxes and an Owl

c. 1779–84

Louis Jean Desprez

(French, 1743–1804)

Culture

France, 18th century

Medium

aquatint with etching

Measurements

Platemark: 34 x 48.7 cm (13 3/8 x 19 3/16 in.); Sheet: 35 x 50.3 cm (13 3/4 x 19 13/16 in.)

Credit Line

Severance and Greta Millikin Trust 2018.207

Catalogue raisonné

Wollin 28

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Location

Not on view

Did You Know?

The growing popularity of Egypt in the late 18th century, bolstered by Napoleon Bonaparte’s ultimately failed attempt to colonize the country, ensured a ready market for the subject of Louis Jean Desprez's print.

Description

Originally trained as an architect, Louis Jean Desprez produced this print depicting a tomb while living in Rome. He combined details observed while visiting catacombs in southern Italy with macabre inventions, such as the pair of feet visible from within the sculptural space. Desprez creatively used aquatint—a printmaking technique that produces shades of gray—to render the space’s dramatic shadows and stone surfaces.