Medal with Portrait of Caligula in the 6th Book, from Tibère ou les six premiers livres es Annales de Tacite Traduits par M. l'abbé de la Bléterie Professeur d'Eloquence au Collège Royal et de l'Académie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres. A Paris de l'Imprimerie Royale

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching and engraving, created by the renowned French artist Augustin de Saint-Aubin the Royal Printing House (L'Imprimerie Royale), illustrates a medal portraying the Roman emperor Calig. Tucked into the 1768 Paris edition of *ibère ou les six livres des Annales de Tacite*, translated by the esteemed scholar Abbé de la Bléterie—a professor of eloquence and of the Académie Royale Inscriptions—this small print (just 1¾ × 2⅝ inches) served as a vivid headpiece for the sixth book. It captures Caligula in profile amid classical motifs like birds and animals, evoking ancient Roman iconography and the emperor's notorious legacy as detailed in Tacitus' histories. Saint-Aubin's masterful technique blends etching's fluid lines with engraving's precise detail, hallmarks of 18th-century French book illustration during the Rococo era. Produced by the elite Imprimerie Royale, it reflects the Enlightenment fascination with antiquity, blending scholarly translation with artistic elegance to bring Tacitus' tales of imperial intrigue to life for educated readers. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of the Estate of Ogden Codman, 1951), this print offers a window into how 18th-century Europe revived Roman history, merging meticulous craftsmanship with cultural reverence for the past.

About the Artist

Augustin de Saint-Aubin|L'Imprimerie Royale · 1736–1807

Comment on works: Illustrator; Engraver