Jacques Fabien Gautier D'Agoty

Jacques Fabien Gautier D'Agoty was an innovative printmaker active between 1743 and 1767. His documented output consists primarily of specialized scientific, anatomical, and genre prints created during the mid-eighteenth century.

The works represented in museum collections demonstrate a rigorous and diverse thematic approach. A significant portion of D'Agoty’s catalog is devoted to detailed medical studies, showcasing titles such as Neck Muscles, plate three from Complete musculature in Natural Size and Color and the highly specific Cranial Dissection, plate five from Anatomy of the Head, in Printed Paintings. The artist’s meticulous attention to scientific illustration extended to botany, seen in works like Impatiens, from Collection des plantes usuelles, curieuses, et étrangères. Conversely, D'Agoty also produced genre scenes like The Tapestry Worker and the pedagogical The Young Draughtsman. These historical works are often reproduced today as high-quality prints for study.

Seven of his influential prints are currently held in major museum collections, establishing his reputation in the history of scientific visualization and printmaking. The Art Institute of Chicago holds important examples of his technique, which utilized innovative color registration processes for greater realism. Because much of his historical work is considered public domain, Jacques Fabien Gautier D'Agoty prints remain a valuable resource for researchers of eighteenth-century natural history art.