1783 - Engraving - Charles Eisen & Heinrich Guttenberg Engraving - Les Époux Malheureux Scene - French Rococo Print

This elegant 18th-century engraving, designed by Charles Eisen (Ch. Eisen inv.) and engraved by Heinrich Guttenberg (H. Guttenberg sc.), illustrates a dramatic moment from Les Époux Malheureux, ou Histoire de Monsieur et Madame de… by François-Thomas Baculard d’Arnaud, published in Paris in 1783. This literary work, part of the sentimental and moral fiction typical of the late Enlightenment, explores the consequences of passion, virtue, and social convention within the refined world of the Ancien Régime.

Eisen, one of the foremost illustrators of the French Rococo period, was celebrated for his expressive compositions and the psychological realism he brought to literary scenes. In this plate, his mastery of gesture and movement gives life to the confrontation between the protagonists. The figures, dressed in the rich attire of the 1770s, stand in a delicately rendered interior with patterned drapery and ornate woodwork, evoking both elegance and emotional tension. Guttenberg’s fine burin work translates Eisen’s design into a highly detailed engraving, balancing grace and intensity through precise lines and subtle contrasts of light and shade.

This print belongs to a long tradition of illustrated moral literature, where art and narrative intertwined to convey lessons on human conduct, marriage, and social duty. The series from Les Époux Malheureux was issued around the same time as other celebrated book illustrations by Eisen, notably for La Fontaine’s Contes and Boccaccio’s Decameron. Today, such plates are prized not only for their artistic merit but also as historical witnesses to the refinement and sensibility of late 18th-century France.

A beautiful example of Rococo engraving at its height, combining emotional storytelling, technical precision, and the unmistakable elegance of pre-Revolutionary French art.

You can see the book and the engraving here : https://edition-originale.com/en/works/antique-books-1455-1820-2/literature-3/arnaud-les-epoux-malheureux-ou-histoire-de-mr-et-mme-de-1783-54026