Corner of a Drawing Room
1701 to 1725
Medium
black crayon on laid paper
Dimensions
overall: 16.8 x 13.2 cm (6 5/8 x 5 3/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1964.8.1503
Art Historical Context
Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin *Corner of a Drawing Room created between 1701 and 1725, offers a delightful glimpse into the intimate elegance of early 18th-century French life. This small-scale drawing (16.8 x 13.2 cm), executed in black crayon on laid paper captures a cozy nook of a fashionable drawing room—a space central to aristocratic social gatherings during the Regency period in France. Saint-Aubin, a prolific draftsman known for his intricate depictions of Parisian society, evokes the Rococo era’s playful refinement through subtle details like ornate furniture and draped fabrics. The...
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...