Allegory on the Convalescence of the Dauphin
Medium
Etching in black on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Plate: 11.3 × 13.5 cm (4 1/2 × 5 3/8 in.); Sheet: 12.3 × 14.4 cm (4 7/8 × 5 11/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
246805
Art Historical Context
Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin *Allegory on the Conescence of the Dauphin (1752) is a charming etching that captures a moment of royal celebration in 18th-century France. Created ivory laid paper, this intimate print (plate size: 11.3 × 13.5 cm) depicts an allegorical scene honoring the recovery from illness of the Dauphin, heir to the French throne under Louis XV. Such works were common in the Rococo era, blending whimsy with courtly pomp to express public relief and loyalty amid the opulent world of Versailles. Saint-Aubin, a masterful French printmaker known for his intricate etchings, emp...
About the Artist
Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin · 1724–1780
Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin (14 April 1724 – 14 February 1780) was born in Paris into an artistic family — one of fourteen children of the court embroiderer and engraver G.-G. de Saint-Aubin. Art ran deep in the family: his brothers Charles Germain and Augustin de Saint-Aubin were also accomplished artists. Gabriel received his earliest training at home before entering the studios of Étienne Je...