A large part of Auguste Péquégnot's (1819-1878) engraved work was bequeathed to the Chalcographie du Louvre by his wife Louise-Clémentine Houssard early last century. The legacy brought nearly two thousand plates into the national collection.
The subjects from a "grammar" of styles and encyclopaedia of old decorative art. It includes the most remarkable works by master decorators, whether they were architects, painters or draughtsmen, such as Androuet du Cerceau, Marot, Le Pautre, Piranesi, Vouet and Boucher.
It is a collection of trophies, attributes, friezes, cartouches, furniture, vases, mantelpieces, details, railings, bronzes, candelabras and ironwork.
The prints are bound in books : "Suite of Cupids after Boucher", "Figures of Women", "Ornaments", "Vases and Decorations after the Old Masters", "Old Decorations from the Renaissance to Louis XVI", "Furniture from the 16th to the 18th century".
The plates are etchings finished with a burin. The engraver sometimes worked with a sharp line, and sometimes used the soft ground etching technique to achieve the graphic effect of a pencil drawing on paper.
Some of the plates are printed in red ink recalling the original red chalk drawings.
