Le lever de la mariée russe (Custom of the Russians after the Marriage Ceremony and before the Wedding Feast)
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Widener Collection
Accession Number
1942.9.2434
Art Historical Context
In the enchanting etching *Le lever de la mari russe (Custom of the Russians after Marriage Ceremony and before the Feast)*, created between 1726 and 1750, Augustin de Saint-Aubin skillfully reproduces a scene after Jean-Baptiste Le Prince. print captures an intimate Russian wedding ritual, where the bride is ritually prepared—likely undressed and adorned—by attendants in the moments bridging the ceremony and feast. Le Prince, a French artist famed for his vivid depictions of Russian customs, drew from his travels to bring exotic Eastern European traditions to Western audiences during the Roco...