Augustin de Saint-Aubin
Self portrait Augustin de Saint-Aubin, 1764
Born(1736-01-03)3 January 1736
Paris, France
Died9 November 1807(1807-11-09) (aged 71)
Paris, France
NationalityFrench
Occupationengraver
Years active1752–1800

Augustin de Saint-Aubin sometimes styled Auguste de Saint-Aubin (3 January 1736 – 9 November 1807), belongs to an important dynasty of French designers and engravers.

Biography

Augustin de Saint-Aubin was born on 3 January 1736 in Paris to the king's embroiderer Gabriel Germain de Saint-Aubin (1696–1756).[1] He came from a family of artists and designers, which included his six siblings: brothers Charles-Germain de Saint-Aubin and Gabriel-Jacques de Saint-Aubin, as well as Catherine Louise, Louis-Michel, Athanasius, and Agathe, who were collectively known as the "Book of Saint-Aubin".[2] His niece, Marie-François, daughter of Charles, was an artist as well.[3]

Trained by his brother, he later studied with Étienne Fessard, Nicolas-Henry Tardieu[1] and Laurent Cars. His first submission to the Salon was an etching in 1752.[4] He was approved by the Académie Royale in 1771, but did not graduate, as he failed to submit one of the required reception pieces.[1] He took many commissions for commercial purposes like bookplates, frontispieces, invitations, tradesmen's cards, and programs,[5] but also illustrated books such as the Decameron by Boccaccio.[4]

In 1776 he was appointed as the official engraver at the Bibliothèque Royale (Royal Library). He later worked on etching the collection of antique gems owned by the Duc d'Orléans.[1] Emmanuel Bocher's 1879 catalog contains over 1300 works by Augustin, but he is most remembered for his portraits[1] and his engravings of portraits by Charles-Nicolas Cochin the younger (1715–1790).[4] In his lifetime, Augustin was considered the most successful of the siblings, but he is the one about whom least is now known.[6]

He was married to Louise-Nicole Godeau.[6] He died 9 November 1807 in Paris.[2]

Selected works

Drawings

Validé ou la Sultane Mère (Augustin de Saint-Aubin, 1777)

Engravings

Marc René, marquis de Montalembert

Further reading

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Fahy, Everett; Wrightsman, Jayne, eds. (2005). The Wrightsman pictures. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 222. ISBN 1-58839-144-2. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Augustin de Saint-Aubin (1736–1807)". Data BNF France (in French). France: Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  3. ^ Profile of Marie-Françoise de Saint-Aubin in the Dictionary of Pastellists Before 1800.
  4. ^ a b c "Le Concert (The Concert) by L. Provost, 19th-century engraver [article]". Library of Congress. Washington, DC: Library of Congress. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  5. ^ Metropolitan Museum of Art (1999). The Robert Lehman Collection. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. pp. 356–358. ISBN 978-0-870-99918-5. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Огюстен де Сент-Обен: Augustin de Saint-Aubin". Marty de Cambiaire. Russia: Marty de Cambiaire. Archived from the original on 23 June 2015. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
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