Le tonneau d'arrosage [upper half]

Art Historical Context

Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin *Le tonneau d’arrosage [upper half]* (1762) is a delightful etching retouched with dry on laid paper, capturing the whimsical spirit of mid18th-century Paris. As part of the National Gallery of Art’s Rosenwald CollectionDepartment CG-E), this print exemplifies Saint-Aubin’s prowess as a Rococo engraver, renowned for his intricate vignettes and satirical glimpses into everyday urban life. Created during the height of the Ancien Régime, just before the French Revolution, it reflects the era’s fascination with the bustling streets, fashions, and minor characters of the city. The title, translating to “The Watering Barrel [upper half],” suggests a lively street scene—perhaps featuring a water cart or municipal worker tending to Paris’s dusty roads, a common motif in Saint-Aubin’s oeuvre. His brotherly trio of artists popularized such genre prints, blending humor with acute social observation. Etching allowed Saint-Aubin to etch fine, fluid lines into a copper plate with acid, while drypoint additions created a soft, textured “burr” for richer tonal depth, making prints like this both reproducible and uniquely expressive. This work highlights printmaking’s democratic appeal in Enlightenment France, bridging elite art with public amusement. Visitors will appreciate its technical finesse and vivid evocation of a bygone Parisian bustle. (198 words)

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...