La Famille Renouard (The Renouard Family)

Art Historical Context

This intimate family portrait by Augustin de Saint-Aubin captures the Renouard family in a tender domestic grouping. Created between 1800 and 1801, the etching and engraving depicts men, women, boys, and girls arranged together, reflecting the period’s growing interest in bourgeois family life following the French Revolution. Saint-Aubin, a prominent French printmaker of the late eighteenth century, brought his characteristic precision and warmth to such subjects. Executed in etching and engraving—a medium prized for its ability to render delicate lines and subtle tonal variations—this work exists in its third and final state. The technique allowed the image to be widely circulated, making family portraits accessible beyond the elite. Now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection of drawings and prints, the sheet measures just over eight inches high, inviting close viewing of its finely detailed figures. Saint-Aubin’s print offers a charming glimpse into early nineteenth-century French society, where personal bonds and everyday elegance took center stage in art.

About the Artist

Augustin de Saint-Aubin · 1736–1807

Comment on works: Illustrator; Engraver