George Gabb and ‘Le Cabinet de M. Le Clerc’: Art, Science, and the Visual Production of Knowledge
Resource type
Journal article
Creator (person)
Barrett, Katy
Date published
April 2022
Abstract
In 1948, the Science Museum, London, acquired a drawing by French artist Sébastien Le Clerc entitled , bequeathed by the chemist and collector George Hugh Gabb. Separated from two other drawings by Le Clerc of the same composition, the drawing has been interpreted as a view of the French Académie des Sciences after its move to the Louvre in 1699. This essay considers the provenance and reception history of the drawing, paying attention to its research and interpretation by Gabb. His comparison of the related unfinished print to Le Clerc's most famous image, , reveals similar employment of instruments and imagery by Le Clerc, showing both the artist and the Académie producing scientific knowledge through art. Gabb's drawing gives one rich example of how we can understand the entwined histories of art and science over time.
Journal title
Art History
Volume
45
Issue
2
Publisher
Wiley
ISSN
0141-6790
eISSN
1467-8365
Official URL
Rights statement
In Copyright