In 1874, the Parisian publisher Dentu printed six novellas by Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly (1808-1889), all grouped under the title Les Diaboliques. The first edition was seized; a second edition was published in 1882 by Lemerre. In 1886, the same publisher produced a series of ten etchings by Félicien Rops which illustrate Les Diaboliques. This sketch is one of a preparatory drawings for the etching illustrating the novella A un Dîner d'Athées (for further information on the series, see C. de Croes and A. Mattart in the catalogue of the exhibition Félicien Rops, Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, 6 June-21 July 1985, and Musée des Beaux-Arts Jules Chéret, Nice, 31 July-15 Oct. 1985, pp. 134-139).