Art Institute of Chicago

Tomb with Sphinxes and an Owl

Louis Jean Desprez

Date

1779–84

Medium

Etching and aquatint in brown on cream laid paper

Culture

France

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This invention of an imaginary Egyptian tomb by the French artist, architect, and stage designer Louis-Jean Desprez was one of a set of four aquatints on the theme that he designed while living in Rome. It combines a sense of theatrical drama with references to Egyptian antiquities, which enjoyed a vogue at the time. The print’s bizarre fantasy (made horrific by the exposed corpse in the open tomb), enhanced by dramatic contrasts of light and shadow, makes it a document of some importance among the early manifestations in art of pre-romantic sensibilities.

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.