Jeune femme drapée, assise, arrosant une plante (Young draped woman, seated, watering a plant in the style of red-figure vase painting), most likely from Recueil de Différentes Compositions Frises et Ornements dessinées et gravées à la manière du lavis par La Grenée le Juene Se trouve chez l'Auteur, au Louvre et chez Basan, rue et Hôtel Serpente A Paris, in an album containing Recueil de Compositions par Lagrenée Le Jeune (Collection of Compositions by Lagrenée the Younger) 1779 - 1789

This print, conceived by Jean Jacques Lagrenée, captures a scene reminiscent of ancient red-figure vase painting. Note the draped woman, the central motif, seated and tenderly watering a plant. This simple act carries profound weight; water, the source of life, nurturing flora. The gesture echoes across millennia. Consider the Minoan snake goddess, her hands raised in offering, or the Egyptian depictions of pharaohs pouring libations to ensure the land’s fertility. Each act, though distinct in context, speaks to a deep-seated human desire: to control, celebrate, and safeguard the generative forces of nature. In our collective memory, the act of watering transforms into a powerful symbol of life and renewal. The emotional resonance here stems from the quiet intimacy of the act, and the viewer is drawn into a shared subconscious understanding of life and growth. Lagrenée taps into a deep well of cultural memory, presenting a symbol that continues its cyclical journey through art history.