Dezallier d’Argenville’s (1680–1765) Concept of a Print Collection: By Topic or by School?

Abstract

In 1727, Antoine-Joseph Dezallier d’Argenville presented a theory of collecting practices in an article that spread throughout Europe in the eighteenth century. Its author set out his own recommendations for assembling a diverse collection and dwelt in particular on prints since, for him, they synthesised a form of learning through images. Dezallier located the value of prints primarily in their documentary content and advised that they should be classified by theme, unlike drawings, which he regarded as works of art because of their stylistic features and which, he argued, should therefore be organised by school and by artist. With such arguments, Dezallier typifies a pivotal period in the graphic arts; his vision of the print looked to the past while his view of drawings heralded the future.