Medal with Portrait of Livy in the 5th 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), a medal portraying the ancient Roman historian Livy (Titus Livius) as a headpiece for the fifth book of *Tibère ou les premiers livres des Annales de Tacite Published in Paris in 1768, it adorned a scholarly French translation of Tacitus's *Annals* by the esteemed Abbé de la Blie, a professor of eloquence and member of the Académie Royale des Inscriptions Belles-Lettres. At just 1 11/16 × 2 11/16 inches, this intimate print exemplifies the exquisite vignettes that elevated 18th-century luxury editions. Saint-Aubin's Rococo-influenced style shines in the precise lines of etching and engraving, techniques ideal for reproducing intricate medal profiles with classical poise. These methods allowed for fine details in Livy's dignified profile—nose, laurel wreath, and toga—evoking the grandeur of Roman antiquity while showcasing the era's mastery of printmaking for book illustration. In the Enlightenment fervor for classical learning, such prints bridged ancient history and modern scholarship, making erudite texts visually appealing to elite readers. Today, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department (gift of the Estate of Ogden Codman, 1951), it reminds us how art immortalized history's voices.

About the Artist

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

Comment on works: Illustrator; Engraver