L'Antiquité Expliquée served as a fundamental source work of classical antiquity and other motifs for painters, sculptors and architects throughout the 18th Century. The architect, Robert Adams, derived many features of his decorative repertoire from it, in particular what he believed to be 'Etruscan' motifs. Supplementary volumes were issued in 1742. The work occupied Montfauçon for many years, having received contributions and assistance from some of the great European collectors of the time, many of whom are mentioned or credited adjacent to the illustrations.