Angels Carrying Gideon's Fleece - Nicolas Le Sueur

A delicate chiaroscuro woodcut by Nicolas Le Sueur, depicting angels with the fleece of Gideon in a soft, monochromatic blue-green palette.

This print is a fine example of the chiaroscuro woodcut technique, a method employed by Nicolas Le Sueur to replicate the tonal qualities of wash drawings. The work depicts a group of angels suspended in the clouds, carefully transporting the fleece of Gideon, a biblical subject drawn from the Book of Judges. The composition is light and airy, characteristic of the French Rococo period, with figures rendered in soft, flowing lines that suggest movement and grace.

Le Sueur was a member of a family of engravers and worked extensively on the Recueil Crozat, a massive project intended to document the drawings held in the collection of Pierre Crozat. This specific print is based on a drawing by Andrea Orazi. The technique involves multiple woodblocks to create depth through varying shades of a single colour, in this instance a muted blue-green. The result is a print that maintains the spontaneity of the original sketch while providing the structural clarity of a finished engraving.

The figures are arranged in a triangular formation, drawing the eye upward toward the central angel who holds the fleece. The clouds are suggested through minimal, sweeping lines, allowing the paper tone to act as a light source. This approach avoids heavy shading, keeping the overall effect delicate and refined. The inscription at the base provides provenance, noting the original drawing by Orazi and the production under Le Sueur's direction for the Crozat collection. It is a piece that demonstrates the technical precision required for eighteenth-century printmaking, where the goal was to translate the nuances of ink and wash into a reproducible format for collectors and scholars of the era.