Le Coucher - Carlo Antonio Porporati

A refined eighteenth-century engraving by Carlo Antonio Porporati, depicting a woman preparing for sleep, based on an original work by Carle van Loo.

This engraving, titled Le Coucher, is a masterful reproduction by the Italian artist Carlo Antonio Porporati. It is based on an original painting by the French artist Charles-André van Loo, often referred to as Carle van Loo. The composition depicts a woman in a private chamber, captured in a moment of preparation for sleep. She stands with her back to the viewer, turning her head slightly to look over her shoulder. Her posture is relaxed, with one knee resting upon a stool as she attends to her garments.

Porporati was highly regarded for his technical precision in the medium of engraving. His work here demonstrates a command of light and shadow, which defines the contours of the figure and the texture of the surrounding fabrics. The heavy drapery of the bed curtains and the discarded slippers on the floor provide a sense of domestic intimacy. The artist employs a variety of line weights and cross-hatching techniques to render the softness of skin against the weight of velvet and linen.

As a printmaker, Porporati served as a bridge between the French Rococo aesthetic of the original painting and the disciplined, clean lines favoured by the Neoclassical period. The inscription at the base of the print identifies the original work by van Loo, dated 1650, and notes Porporati's role as a pensioner to the King of Sardinia. This piece is a fine example of eighteenth-century reproductive printmaking, where the engraver sought to translate the tonal qualities of oil paint into the monochromatic language of ink on paper. The result is a balanced composition that maintains the narrative focus on the subject while providing a detailed rendering of the interior environment.