Charles-Melchior Descourtis (French, 1753-1820)
after Jean Frédéric Schall (French, 1752-1825)
The Prayer, plate 6 from Paul et Virginie
INV-2875
Charles-Melchior Descourtis (French, 1753-1820)
after Jean Frédéric Schall (French, 1752-1825)1795-97
The Prayer, plate 6 from Paul et Virginie
Charles-Melchior Descourtis (French, 1753-1820) after Jean Frédéric Schall (French, 1752-1825) →etchingprint
Date
1795-97
Medium
Etching and engraving in yellow, blue, red, and black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image: 37.5 × 41.2 cm (14 13/16 × 16 1/4 in.); Sheet, cut within platemark: 42 × 47.5 cm (16 9/16 × 18 3/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
The Joseph Brooks Fair Collection
In this print the other characters keep the discovery of Virginie’s body a secret from Paul, because he has been inconsolable in the weeks since the shipwreck. This scene shows Paul, Domingue, and the narrator praying near the church where, unbeknownst to Paul, Virginie has already been buried. In the coming months, most of the characters will succumb to illness, insanity, or death as they are consumed by their grief, leaving only the narrator to recount the story.
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