Jean-Baptiste Rousseau
Medium
engraving over etching on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 17.3 x 11.5 cm (6 13/16 x 4 1/2 in.) sheet: 17.3 x 13.6 cm (6 13/16 x 5 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of John O'Brien
Accession Number
1986.88.25
Art Historical Context
Discover the elegant portrait *Jean-Baptiste Rousseau* (1802), an engraving over etching by the skilled French printmaker Augustin de Saint-A. This intimate work captures the likeness of the celebrated 18th-century poet, dramatist, and librett Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (16711741), whose witty verses and operas graced the salons of Louis XIV's Versailles. Created over six decades after Rousseau's death, it reflects the enduring fascination with Enlightenment figures during the Napoleonic era, when nostalgia for pre-Revolutionary cultural icons surged. Saint-Aubin's mastery shines in his mixed tec...
About the Artist
Augustin de Saint-Aubin · 1736–1807
Comment on works: Illustrator; Engraver