La Mascarade chinoise

One of Pierre's most accomplished etchings, this print commemorates an event that took place shortly before his arrival in Rome, when French students took part in the festivities marking the pre-Lenten celebration of Carnival. With pomp and whimsy in equal measure, the students dressed up as Chinese dignitaries and joined the procession along the Corso, passing in front of the Palazzo Mancini, the grand and centrally located quarters of the French Academy in Rome.