Art Institute of Chicago

The Arrival of Monsieur de la Bourdonnais, plate 3 from Paul et Virginie

Charles-Melchior Descourtis (French, 1753-1820)

Date

1795-97

Medium

Etching and engraving printed in yellow, blue, red, and black inks on ivory laid paper

Culture

France

Department

Prints and Drawings

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

One of the most accomplished color printmakers of his era, Charles Melchior Descourtis produced a body of work that is small and relatively unknown. Descourtis learned his method of multiple-plate color printing from Jean Frarnçois Janinet and like him used toolwork on the plate rather than aquatint, an acid immersion process used to create general areas of shading. In this print, the governor of Mauritius, Monsieur Bourdonnais, has arrived for breakfast at the home of Paul and Virginie. He excitedly tells the family that Virginie’s wealthy aunt has requested for Virginie to join her at her house in Paris. The mothers agree, understanding that this could provide an opportunity for upward social mobility and a chance to inherit the aunt’s fortune. Additionally, they decide that separating their very close—but now adolescent—children could be the best way to prevent a relationship between them, which could ruin their social reputations and chances for future marriage.

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