Allegory of the Marriages Performed by the City of Paris in Honor of the Birth of the Duc de Bourgogne in 1751

Gabriel de Saint-Aubin French

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 690

Louis Joseph Xavier, a prince of the House of Bourbon and second in line to the throne, was born on September 13, 1751. His arrival was greeted by a flood of tributes in various forms—print, poetry, theater, song, and more.

After producing several allegories celebrating the royal birth, Saint-Aubin changed tack and devised a more complex composition commemorating the dowries that were distributed to six hundred less privileged young women. The marriages took place on a single day, November 9, 1751, in churches throughout the city.

Allegory of the Marriages Performed by the City of Paris in Honor of the Birth of the Duc de Bourgogne in 1751, Gabriel de Saint-Aubin (French, Paris 1724–1780 Paris), Etching, between second and third states

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.