Studieblad met een lezende vrouw en enkele schetsen

About this artwork

verzamelaarsmerk, recto, linksonder: Lugt 1089

Art Historical Context

Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin1734–1780), a prolific French draftsman and engraver, captures everyday elegance in *Studieblad met een lezende vrouw en enkeletsen* (Study with a Reading Woman and Sketches). Created during the vibrant Rococo era in 18th-century Paris, this work features a woman absorbed in reading amid loose sketches, reflecting the artist's fascination with urban life, fashion, and fleeting moments. Saint-Aubin's style—lively, detailed, and improvisational—often documented the theater, salons, and bourgeoisie, making his studies cherished windows into pre-Revolutionary France. The medium, a counterproof, adds technical intrigue: produced by pressing damp paper against an inked plate to create a mirror-image impression, it allowed artists like Saint-Aubin to refine compositions or add drawings on the reversed surface. Measuring just 226 × 179 mm, this delicate sheet exemplifies his sketchbook practice, blending precision with spontaneity. A collector's mark (Lugt 1089) on the lower left recto underscores its provenance, linking it to esteemed 18th- or 19th-century connoisseurs who prized such ephemera. This piece invites us to ponder the quiet intellectual pursuits of the Enlightenment, where a simple reading figure evokes emerging literacy and private reflection amid societal buzz. A gem for lovers of draftsmanship!

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...