Le Matin (Morning)

Art Historical Context

**Le Matin (Morning)** by Pierre Antoine Baudouin captures an intimate domestic moment, likely depicting figures—boys, men, and women—in a serene bedroom scene of slumber just before dawn. This delicate drawing evokes the quiet poetry of awakening, a common motif in 18th-century French art celebrated everyday life with elegance and warmth. Though the exact date is unknown, Baudouin's Rococo sensibility shines through in such tender, genre-inspired compositions. Crafted in gouache over faint graphite traces on paper pasted to board, the work measures a modest 10 3/16 x 7 1/2 inches, highlighting the artist's mastery of opaque watercolor for luminous, velvety effects. Gouache allowed for rich color layering and fine detail on this intimate scale, while the graphite underdrawing provided precise planning beneath the vibrant surface. Pasting the paper to board ensured durability, a practical technique for preserving fragile works. Now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department as a 1943 gift from Ann Payne Blumenthal, *Le Matin* invites visitors to linger on its subtle charm, reminding us of art's power to immortalize fleeting, peaceful moments.

About the Artist

Pierre Antoine Baudouin · 1723–1769

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