Philibert-Louis Debucourt

Debucourt was born in Paris in 1755, and became a pupil of Joseph-Marie Vien. He executed a few plates in mezzotint, such as the Heureuse famille, the Benediction de la mariée, and the Cruche cassée, after his own designs. Most of his work was, however, in aquatint.^[1] He became the leading maker of multi-plate colour prints, combining washes of aquatint with line-engraving.^[2] He used a number of different techniques, but most involved three colour plates, and a fourth key plate, outlining the design in black.^[3]

Debucourt's father-in-law was the sculptor Louis-Philippe Mouchy. In the marriage contract Mouchy generously offered to provide a three-room apartment at the Louvre, where Debucourt lived for twelve and a half years. The address of this apartment is often given on his prints.^[4] Some of his work was satirical, such as La promenade publique, an aquatint of 1792 showing a crowd in the gardens the Palais-Royal.^[2] As well as work from his own designs, he made aquatints after Carle Vernet, including the Horse Frightened by a Lion, the Horse Frightened by Lightning and the Strayed Huntsman.^[1]

Debucourt was assisted for some years by his pupil and nephew, Jean-Pierre-Marie Jazet. He died at Belleville in 1832.^[1]

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  The Poorly Defended Rose, intaglio (1791)
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  Celebrations given by the City of Paris at Les Halles, on the occasion of the birth of the dauphin
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  The Public Promenade, etching, engraving, and aquatint (1792)
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  Promenade of the gallery of the Royal Palace, aquatint (1798)
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  The Compliment, or the morning of New Year's Day, aquatint (1787)