Vignettes pour les "Tablettes historiques, topographiques et physiques de Bourgogne"
Medium
Etching
Dimensions
sheet #1: 4 5/16 x 4 13/16 in. (11 x 12.3 cm) image #1: 3 3/4 x 4 3/16 in. (9.5 x 10.7 cm) sheet #2: 4 x 2 3/16 in. (10.1 x 5.5 cm) image #2: 3 11/16 x 1 15/16 in. (9.3 x 4.9 cm) sheet #3: 4 1/8 x 2 5/16 in. (10.5 x 5.9 cm) image #3: 3 11/16 x 1 15/16 in. (9.3 x 4.9 cm) sheet #4: 4 x 2 3/16 in. (10.2 x 5.5 cm) image #4: 3 11/16 x 1 15/16 in. (9.3 x 4.9 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1960
Accession Number
60.623.25(1-4)
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the mid-18th century, French artists Gabriel de Saint-Aubin andienne Fessard collaborated these delicate etchings, titled *Vignettes pour lesTablettes historiques, top et physiques de Bourgogne"*1755). Created as ornamental illustrations for a scholarly book exploring the history, landscapes, and natural features of Burgundy—a prosperous region famed for its wines, castles, and ducal heritage—these four small prints (each roughly 4 x 2 inches) feature portraits of men and coats of arms. Such vignettes served as elegant chapter headers or tailpieces, blending portraiture with heraldry to evoke nobility and regional pride during the Rococo era's love for refined decoration. Etching, the chosen medium, allowed the artists to achieve intricate, fluid lines ideal for capturing the expressive faces and ornate escutcheons in these vignettes. Saint-Aubin, renowned for his lively sketches of Parisian life, brought a whimsical touch, while Fessard’s engraving expertise ensured precise reproduction. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department as part of The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, these works highlight the Enlightenment's fusion of art and knowledge, turning dry topography into visual delight for educated readers. A charming glimpse into 18th-century book illustration!
About the Artist
Gabriel de Saint-Aubin|Etienne Fessard · 1724–1780
Gabriel de Saint-Aubin (1724–1780) was one of the most vivid and irrepressible graphic artists of eighteenth-century France, a tireless draughtsman whose sketchbooks and prints constitute an extraordinary visual chronicle of Parisian life during the Ancien Régime. Born into a family with strong connections to the decorative arts — his father was an embroiderer to the king — Saint-Aubin received fo...