Chaudet's drawing is preparatory for an illustration to Jean Baptiste Racine's "Esther," one of the plays included in Pierre Didot's 1801 deluxe edition of Racine's "Oeuvres" (Paris, Pierre Didot l'aîné, 1801, 3 vols.). The composition illustrates Act II, Scene VII, and was engraved by Jean Mathieu (1749), appearing in volume 3, opposite p. 50. Racine wrote "Esther", a tragedy in three acts based on the Biblical Book of Esther, in 1689. In this scene, Esther appears before her husband, the Persian king, Ahasuerus.
Didot's three-volume edition of Racine's "Oeuvres" set a new standard for luxury in French book production, with full-page illustrations for the six plays included, each play being illustrated by the same artist for consistency. The Morgan preserves a copy of Didot's publication (of which only 250 examples were printed) in the Gordon Ray Collection (PML 140193-195), as well as three other preparatory drawings, another by Chaudet for "Athalie" (Acc. No. 2002.13), one by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roucy-Trioson (1767-1824) for "Phèdre" (Acc. No. 1997.3), and one by François Gérard (1770-1837) for "Bajazet" (Acc. No. 2002.14).
Inscribed at lower left, CHAUDET INV.; Vivez: le scepter D'or que vous tend cette main / pour vous de ma clemence est un gage certain
Ray, Gordon Norton, 1915-1986, former owner.
R. Portalis, Les dessinateurs d'illusrations au dix-huitième siècle, Paris, 1877, vol. 1, 1877, p. 66-67.
H. Cohen, Guide de l'Amateur de Livres à Gravures du XVIIIe siècle, 1912, vol. 2, 849-50.
Gordon N. Ray, The Art of the French Illustrated Book 1700-1914, New York, 1986, p. 123-26, no. 72, repr.