Charles-Melchior Descourtis (French, 1753-1820)
after Jean Frédéric Schall (French, 1752-1825)
The Night, plate 1 from Paul et Virginie
INV-2876
Charles-Melchior Descourtis (French, 1753-1820)
after Jean Frédéric Schall (French, 1752-1825)1795
The Night, plate 1 from Paul et Virginie
Charles-Melchior Descourtis (French, 1753-1820) after Jean Frédéric Schall (French, 1752-1825) →etchingprint
Date
1795
Medium
Etching and engraving printed in yellow, blue, red, and black inks on paper
Dimensions
Image: 37.5 × 41.2 cm (14 13/16 × 16 1/4 in.); Sheet, cut within platemark: 42 × 47 cm (16 9/16 × 18 9/16 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
The Joseph Brooks Fair Collection
Night falls as Paul and Virginie are returning from the plantation, and they stop, fatigued and hungry, with little hope of finding their way home. Suddenly, they hear the familiar barking of their dog Fidèle, and they see Domingue, one of the two enslaved people owned by their family, running anxiously toward them out of the woods. Domingue was sent to find the children by their concerned mothers, but on his way through the jungle he passed the plantation and learned of the fugitive woman’s dire fate.
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