Medaille met Michel Jean Sédaine omringd door putti

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, verso midden onder, gestempeld: Lugt 2760

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching by Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin, created in 1757, presents a medal design honoring the French playwright and librettist Michel Jean Sédaine. The composition centers on Sédaine’s portrait, encircled by lively putti—cherubic figures that evoke classical allegory artistic inspiration. At just 129 by 75 millimeters, the small scale highlights the intimate, refined quality typical of 18th-century printmaking intended for collectors or publication. Saint-Aubin, active during the Enlightenment in France, specialized in etchings that captured both everyday Parisian scenes and commemorative subjects. Etching allowed him to achieve fine lines and subtle tonal effects, making the medium ideal for reproducing the crisp details of medals and sculptural reliefs. Here, the putti lend a celebratory, almost theatrical air, reflecting Sédaine’s contributions to French drama and opera. The print’s verso collector’s stamp further underscores its history within distinguished cabinets of curiosities, where such works were valued for both their artistic merit and their connection to notable cultural figures of the period.

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...