Galerie Paul Prouté

Babel, a woodcarver, but also an etcher, distinguished himself by his drawings of ornaments, executed to embellish books or to serve as a model for others. His talent was soon recognized and the architect Carl Hårleman recommended him to the Swedish court in 1732 to come to Stockholm, but by 1736 it was clear that the artist had no plans to leave. His own drawings were published in Paris in 1738. Charles-Nicolas Cochin recommended Babel to the architect Robert Adam for his ability to design ornaments for books, and the Journal du Citoyen reported him as a draughtsman specializing in ornamentation (The Hague, 1754, p. 173). In 1751 Babel became a member of the Academy of Saint Luc as « master sculptor ornamentalist ». In 1764, he became a counsellor and the following year, director. Documents attest to his work as a woodcarver for the French court during the period 1763-1775.