On March 5, 1798, the Directoire launched a campaign for Egypt, led by General Bonaparte. The expedition had a scientific dimension, with 175 scientists following the soldiers, with the aim of advancing science and history.
At the general's request, the scientific and artistic results of the expedition were compiled in a publication, Description de l'Egypte, comprising 3,000 engraving plates and explanatory texts. The project was completed under the Empire in 1822; over 200 artists were involved, as well as chemists, geometers and naturalists.
This ethnological, archaeological, historical and geographical survey is compiled in three parts: Antiquity (5 vol.), Modernity (2 vol.), Natural History (3 vol.).
This publication was also a driving force behind advances in engraving methods: Conté invented a machine method for executing skies and large plates, and a variety of technical processes were used: intaglio, drypoint, stippling, color register engraving. The 907 illustrated plates, initially stored at the Bibliothèque Royale, were transferred to the Chalcographie du Louvre in 1854.
Les Ultimes are prints made from the original etching plates in the Chalcographie collection at the Musée du Louvre, before they were placed in storage for preservation reasons.
For preservation reasons, it was decided to stop printing plates engraved before 1848. Before leaving the Ateliers for the Musée du Louvre's storerooms, some were printed one last time. These are the last ones. Each print is dated, numbered and stamped, and sold with a certificate of authenticity, in a limited edition of 10.
Dimensions of the sheet (cm): H. 76 × W. 56
Dimensions of the plate (cm): H. 62.8 × W. 46.2
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