Vignette with Coin on a Cloud with Roses to the left and Doves Below and to the Right, Tome I, Page 148, from Description des Principales Pierres gravées du Cabinet de S.A.S. Monseigneur le Duc d'Orléans Premier Prince du sang. A Paris chez M. l'abbé de la Chau au Palais-Royal M. l'abbé Le Blond au collége Mazarin Et chez Pissot, libraire, quai des Augustins

Art Historical Context

This delicate etching, created by Augustin de Saint-Aubin around 1778–80, graces page 148 of Tome I in *Description des Principales Pier gravées du Cabinet de.A.S. Monse le Duc d'Orléans Titled *Vignette with Coin a Cloud with Roses to left and Doves Below to the Right*, it a central coin perched on clouds, framed by blooming roses on the left andoing doves below and to the right. Playful putti (cherubic figures) and human forms add a whimsical touch, evoking the ornate vignettes that decorated 18th-century catalogs of noble art collections. Printed in Paris by publishers including Pissot, L'Abbé de la Chau, and L'Abbé Le Blond, this work exemplifies the etching technique—where acid etches intricate lines into a metal plate for precise, reproducible details. At just over 11 by 8 inches, its intimate scale suited lavish books showcasing the Duke of Orléans' prized engraved gems (intaglios and cameos), symbols of refined taste and classical antiquity during the late Ancien Régime. Held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department, this print highlights the era's passion for antiquarian catalogs, blending Rococo decorative flair with emerging Neoclassical elegance. It invites us to imagine aristocratic salons buzzing with admiration for such treasures, a snapshot of pre-Revolutionary opulence.

About the Artist

Augustin de Saint-Aubin|Pissot|L'Abbé La Chau|L'Abbé Le Blond · 1736–1807

Comment on works: Illustrator; Engraver