Etienne Fessard

Etienne Fessard (1714-1777) was a central figure in French reproduction printmaking during the mid-eighteenth century, operating at the intersection of official artistic patronage and exacting technical skill. Born in Paris, he studied under Edme Jeaurat, cultivating the abilities that led to his acceptance for candidacy (agréé) at the prestigious Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture in 1753.

Fessard’s career advancement was significantly buoyed by the patronage of le comte de Caylus, a powerful amateur and collector. This reciprocal relationship, which may have included Fessard privately assisting Caylus in developing his etching skills, resulted in a signal honor: the appointment as Engraver of the King's Library in 1756. In this capacity, Fessard was responsible for officially documenting the vast collection of royal paintings and drawings, confirming his administrative and artistic importance within the ancien régime.

The engraver was prolific, executing a considerable number of plates that secured the wide distribution of important compositions. His repertoire included religious commissions, such as the suite dedicated to the Parisian hospital of the Enfants-Trouvés featuring scenes like L'Adoration des bergers, alongside mythological and genre studies like Diana and Acteon. Crucially, his reproductive output included the sophisticated study L'Autonne, engraved for the second volume of the monumental collection, L'Oeuvre D'Antoine Watteau, published by M. de Jullienne. These sought-after Etienne Fessard prints provide invaluable documentation of works sometimes otherwise lost to history.

Despite his high official rank, Fessard struggled to obtain the institutional backing required for major undertakings. His ambitious attempts to resume the full-scale engraving of the King's paintings were ultimately hampered by a lack of support from the Académie royale. These efforts resulted in only two large, official plates: Feste Flamande, after Rubens, and L’Empire de Flore, after Poussin. Upon his death, Fessard’s significant position was transferred to his student, Augustin de Saint-Aubin. His lasting contributions, now available to the public domain in the form of high-quality prints, confirm his place in the history of museum-quality art reproduction. Collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago hold prime examples of his technical discernment.