Naiads and Tritons
Medium
etching and aquatint printed in brown on laid paper
Dimensions
plate: 23.7 × 37.4 cm (9 5/16 × 14 3/4 in.) sheet: 31.3 × 44 cm (12 5/16 × 17 5/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Pepita Milmore Memorial Fund
Accession Number
2018.91.52
Art Historical Context
Created in 1766 by Jean-Claude-Richard, Abbé de Saint-Non, *Naiads and Trit* captures the playful world classical mythology. The scene brings together sea nymph and mermen in a lively marine composition, reflecting the eighteenth-century fascination with ancient themes reinterpreted through a light, decorative lens. As an amateur artist and prominent collector, Saint-Non often explored such subjects in his prints, bridging his interests in art, travel, and classical antiquity. The work’s medium—an etching and aquatint printed in brown ink on laid paper—demonstrates the period’s growing intere...