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Jean de Gourmont

Nude Child Seated

1520/30
Engraving in black on ivory laid paper
7.8 × 7.8 cm (3.1 × 3.1 in)

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In the collection of Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago · as of July 2026

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FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

Here Gourmont placed a nude child in front of his characteristic perspectival architecture, leaving only a few clues about his identity. The composition resembles both contemporary images of the Christ Child as well as the John the Baptist roundel on view nearby (1938.1502). Yet the oil lamp behind the figure and the statue in ancient garb emphasize the broken bricks and weeds growing throughout this collapsed structure. These details suggest that the roundel is a meditation on the ruins of Antiquity rather than the advent of Christianity.

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