The Ultimes are prints made from the original etching plates in the Chalcographie collection at the Musée du Louvre before they were put into storage for preservation reasons.
For reasons of preservation, it was decided to stop printing plates engraved before 1848. Before they left the Ateliers to go into the Louvre's reserves, some were printed one last time. These are the last ones. Each print is dated, numbered and stamped, and is sold with a certificate of authenticity, in a limited edition of 10.
In 1721, two engravers were commissioned to produce a series of four allegorical prints on the subject of the four elements. They were inspired by the work of Louis de Boullogne le Jeune on the same theme. Each element is associated with one or more mythological figures.
Here, Louis Desplaces (1682-1739) depicts fire as a force for construction and passion. He took his inspiration from an episode in Canto VIII of the Aeneid. In it, Venus asks her husband Vulcan to forge the military equipment for her son Aeneas. The god is shown at work in his forge, where the Cyclops are busy, illuminated by the flames. He is facing Venus, who seems to be glowing in contrast to the dark cavern that surrounds them. He looks at her with admiration and passion, and already seems to be giving in to her, demonstrating the power of love, a power often expressed in the 18th century by the word "fire"...
Sheet dimensions (cm) : H. 76 × W. 56
Plate dimensions (cm) : H. 76 × W. 56
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