New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2008.

Decoration of the Dress Ball Given by the King, February 24, 1745, on the Occasion of the Marriage of His Son

Artist Charles-Nicholas Cochin the Younger (French, 1715 - 1790)

Manufacturer Charles-Nicolas Cochin the Elder

CultureFrench

Dateca.1745

MediumEtching and engraving on laid paper

Dimensions29 1/4 × 18 in. (74.3 × 45.7 cm)
Overall, Frame: 41 3/4 × 31 3/4 in. (106 × 80.6 cm)

InscribedInscriptions identify Cochin the Younger as designer, Cochin the Elder as engraver and etcher.

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number93.16.2

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is one of five 18th century French Festival Etchings; it is one of 3 prints (from a set of 4) commemorating the celebrations attending the first marriage of Louis, Dauphin of France, in 1745. This print is the 2nd state.

Label TextCharles-Nicolas Cochin the Younger French, 1715–1790 left Decoration of the Theater in the Royal Stables for a Performance Held on the Occasion of the Marriage of King’s Son, February 23, 1745, ca. 1745 Etching and engraving (print) on laid paper right Decoration of the Dress Ball Given by the King, February 24, 1745, on the Occasion of the Marriage of His Son, ca. 1745 Etching and engraving (print) on laid paper These two etchings and the one on the adjacent wall belong to a set of prints commemorating the marriage of King Louis XV’s son—Louis, Dauphin of France—to María Teresa Rafaela of Spain. The wedding took place at the palace of Versailles in 1745. Important royal events like this inspired keen and widespread interest in 18th-century Europe. Prints—inexpensive, portable, and reproducible—were the ideal way to bring images of the festivities to the public. The celebrations unfolded over four days, prompting the royal printmaker, Charles-Nicolas Cochin the Younger, to document it in a series. The first print depicts the performance of a play in the king’s stables. They had been temporarily transformed into an elaborate theater using wood, plaster, and cardboard—impermanent materials often used for such one-off events. Indeed, as the second print reveals, the “theater” had been demolished by the next evening and the stable transformed into a ball room, where the bride, groom, and their guests continued the festivities. Museum purchase 93.16.1–.2 Exhibition History"France Delineated: French Works on Paper, 1650-1920," The Chrysler Museum, Norfolk, VA, July 13 - September 12, 1993. "Treasures for the Community: The Chrysler Collects, 1989-1996," October 25, 1996 - February 16, 1997. "Serial Thrillers: The Lure of Old Master Print Series," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, October 1, 2015 - January 10, 2016. "Come Together, Right Now: The Art of Gathering," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, October 11, 2020 - January 3, 2021.