The Maker of Scales

Jean Michel Moreau le Jeune French

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 690

Denis Diderot (1713–1784) and Jean le Rond d’Alembert’s (1717–1783) Encyclopédie, volumes of which appeared from 1751 to 1772, was a landmark publication presenting thought and knowledge on a broad swath of subjects.

As part of the undertaking, many artists were employed to supply illustrations for articles on the arts and trades (arts et métiers), ultimately forming a visual compendium of the occupations and manufacturing industries of Enlightenment France. Moreau le Jeune’s drawing depicts the interior of a shop where scales were manufactured. The storefront opens directly onto a sunlit street, giving a sense not only of the tools and technical details but of daily life in the French capital.

The Maker of Scales, Jean Michel Moreau le Jeune (French, Paris 1741–1814 Paris), Pen and black ink, brush and brown and gray wash, and graphite

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The Maker of Scales, Jean Michel Moreau le Jeune (French, Paris 1741–1814 Paris), Pen and black ink, brush and brown and gray wash, and graphite
The Maker of Scales, Jean Michel Moreau le Jeune (French, Paris 1741–1814 Paris), Pen and black ink, brush and brown and gray wash, and graphite

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