Frontispiece, from The Building of St. Sulpice by Alexis Piron 1739 - 1749

This print, made by Claude Augustin Duflos le Jeune, is a frontispiece, which is an illustration facing the title page of a book – in this case, about the building of St. Sulpice. It would have been produced using an etching process. Acid would have been applied to a metal plate, to eat away at lines made by the artist using a special tool. The visual texture of the etching is apparent throughout the image. Notice the gradations of tone achieved through fine, closely-spaced lines. This was a painstaking process that required specialized skill and time. Etchings were used to disseminate images widely, and this one promotes not only the building of the church, but also the skills of those involved in its creation. The print gives us a glimpse into the cultural values of the time, when the production of religious architecture was considered a worthy subject for artistic representation. The making of this print is a testament to the labor and skill involved in both artistic and architectural endeavors.