2016.14
Les Carreleurs (The Tilers)
Artist
Jean-Michel Moreau le jeune (John Michel Moreau the Younger)
(1741 - 1814)
Title
Les Carreleurs (The Tilers)
Creation Date
ca. 1763
Century
mid-18th century
Dimensions
4 x 8 x 1 in. (10.2 x 20.3 x 2.5 cm)
Object Type
drawing
Creation Place
Europe, France
Medium and Support
pen and black ink, gray wash
Credit Line
Museum Purchase, Lloyd O. and Marjorie Strong Coulter Fund
Copyright
Public Domain
Accession Number
2016.14
This is a preparatory drawing for an illustration in the “Encyclopedie, ou Dictionnaire raisonne des sciences, des arts et des metiers,” edited by Denis Diderot and, until 1759, Jean le Rond d’Alembert. In this landmark achievement of the Enlightenment, Diderot aimed to assemble, critique, and distribute the complete knowledge of the time, including crafts and trades. Distinguished artists such as the draftsman and illustrator Jean-Michel Moreau the Younger observed the activities of artisans and laborers and rendered them in drawings that make the work process legible to the reader. Moreau’s description of period detail, his rendering of the streaming light reflected on the back wall, and the view through the open door all make this drawing engaging and meaningful beyond the description of the tile-layer’s tasks. As an eyewitness account of the tilers’ work, the drawing ennobles labor and emphasizes the benefits of first-hand observation for research and learning.