Axial Commons Image Treasury
Etching of a seated boy in a loose coat beside a skull, quill and folded paper on a table, with a shadowy figure at left.

The Little Philosopher

An etching in brown-black ink on ivory paper shows a seated young boy in a loose jacket, gazing forward beside a skull resting on a table. A writing quill and a folded sheet rise behind him, while a faint shadowy figure fills the left edge.

Artist
Jean-Pierre Norblin de la Gourdaine
Date
1778
Medium
Etching in brown-black on ivory Japanese paper
Source
Art Institute of Chicago
Size
1686 × 1449 px
Download full size
Public domain · Art Institute of Chicago releases this image under CC0 (latest date 1778).
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: CC0 (Art Institute of Chicago, is_public_domain=true)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Art Institute of Chicago, Gift of Dorothy Braude Edinburg to the Harry B. and Bessie K. Braude Memorial Collection

Español: El pequeño filósofo, aguafuerte de Norblin de la Gourdaine, 1778

Un aguafuerte en tinta marrón oscura sobre papel marfil muestra a un niño sentado con una chaqueta holgada, mirando al frente junto a una calavera sobre una mesa. Detrás aparecen una pluma de escribir y una hoja doblada, y una figura sombría ocupa el borde izquierdo.

Português: O Pequeno Filósofo, gravura de Norblin de la Gourdaine, 1778

Uma gravura em água-forte com tinta marrom-escura sobre papel marfim mostra um menino sentado, de casaco folgado, olhando para a frente ao lado de uma caveira sobre uma mesa. Atrás dele aparecem uma pena de escrever e uma folha dobrada, e uma figura sombreada ocupa a borda esquerda.

More from Philosophers and Sages

Oval blue jasperware medallion with white relief profile of a bearded man facing left, in a silver dotted metal frame.Medallion with PlatoRound porcelain dish with red border and central painting of a seated robed figure beside a pine tree and rocks.Dish with Scholar in GardenInk and wash drawing of bearded philosophers in robes gathered around a large globe, gesturing in debate on blue-grey paper.Philosophers Discussing the Terrestrial GlobeEtching of a bearded standing man with an open book beside a pedestal, a seated turbaned figure by the water, and a jar and debris in the foreground.Standing Philosopher and Two Other Figures, from CapricciDark perforated scholar's rock with irregular hollows on a carved reddish wooden stand against a pale gray background.Scholar's Rock or BrushrestCharcoal drawing of a bald old man seated bare-chested beside standing figures, one with folded arms, one holding a spear, with a bowl at left.Diogenes Asking Alexander the Great to Step Aside (recto); Striding Academic Male Nude (ve