Description
Charles Perrault was the well-educated son of a French upper-class bourgeois family who began his career as a lawyer and was a forerunner of the European Enlightenment. In his writings he criticized authority and stated that progress was possible in the arts and sciences and argued on behalf of the value of modern literature. He is especially well known for his enduring influence on children’s literature, publishing collections of fairy tales that remain popular and familiar to this day, including “Blue Beard,” “Puss in Boots,” and “Cinderella.” He became a member of the Academie Française in 1671.
Israel Silvestre was a prolific Parisian printer and engraver, with over 1,000 known pieces that include landscapes and panoramas of France, the Lorraine and of Italy, which he visited a few times during his career. In 1662 he was named Ordinary Draughtsman to the King, and served as drawing master to the Dauphin. He was received as a member of the royal academy in 1670 on the recommendation of Charles LeBrun.
François Chauveau was a French miniature painter, draftsman and etcher, one of the most prolific printmakers of his time. Born in Paris to an aristocratic family, he studied with Laurent de La Hyre. A prolific and imaginative artist, he made vignettes for books and atlases, and was the leading illustrator of fiction and plays in the 17th century. In all, he produced over 1,600 prints and some 1,400 drawings for other printmakers. Chauveau was made a member of the Royal Academie in 1663 and later became a councillor. Chauveau’s work on a series of prints depicting the Carousel of 1662 earned him the title of Graveur du Roi (Engraver to the King). Chauveau had four sons who became noted artists.
References:
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de Silvestre, Fabien. “Israël Silvestre.” Israël Silvestre et Ses Decendants. 2010. http://israel.silvestre.fr/israel/israel.php (4 May 2010).
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“Francois Chauveau.” The Grove Dictionary of Art. New York: Macmillan. 2000. Artnet.com. http://www.artnet.com/library/01/0161/T016184.asp (20 June 2006).
Krieger, Lois A. “Carousels.” Hanover, New Hampshire: Dartmouth University: Library Bulletin, 1996. Online at Dartmouth University Library. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/Library_Bulletin/Apr1996/LB-A96-Krieger.html (23 April 2002).
“Silvestre, Israel.” Der Messekatalog. 41st Stuttgart Antiquarian Book Fair: 24 January 2002. http://stuttgarter.antiquariatsmesse.de/katalog/display.html (23 April 2002).
