Presentation of the Dictionnaire de l'Académie 1694

This etching from 1694 shows the members of the Académie Française in an audience with the French King Louis XIV (1638–1715), at which they present the first edition of the dictionary Dictionnaire de l'Académie, begun in 1687. The Académie was founded in Paris in 1634 by Cardinal Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu (1585–1642). Its task is to standardise and cultivate the French language. To this end, it publishes dictionaries and grammars, among other things, but also regularly awards prizes and scholarships thanks to a large endowment.

Les membres de l'Académie française venant offrir au Roi le Dictionnaire de l'Académie, Radierung, 8.7 cm x 16.5 cm, 1694, etching: Jean Mariette (1660–1742), drawing: Jean-Baptiste Corneille (1649–1695); source: Collections du château de Versailles, http://collections.chateauversailles.fr/#f4c0c783-0e47-4655-969a-c797e891458d, public domain.