Bal Paré (The Jewel Ball)

1774

Medium: Etching and engraving on ivory laid paper
Dimensions: Image: 29.5 × 41.8 cm (11 5/8 × 16 1/2 in.); Plate: 36.5 × 48 cm (14 3/8 × 18 15/16 in.); Sheet: 38.4 × 50.1 cm (15 1/8 × 19 3/4 in.)
Genre: Etching
Museum: Art Institute of Chicago

Tags

printprints and drawingetchingpaper (fiber product)

About

Augustin de Saint-Aubin was immensely successful as a designer and printmaker. He etched over 500 profile portraits and countless vignettes for book illustrations. Antoine-Jean Duclos, who specialized in illustration, was one of his best pupils. Duclos is known for two large engravings-The Concert and al Parethat he made in 1774 after drawings shown by Augustin in the Salon of 1773. In this print, Edmond and Jules de Goncourt noted Augustin had "the unique fortune of having fixed the physiognomy of France in its most delicious moment.”