Le Citoyen Aubourg, Mme Aubourg, et leur famille (Citizen Aubourg, Madame Aubourg, and their Family)
A diplomat and administrator during the Napoleonic period, Vivant Denon was also a prolific printmaker. Here, he used drypoint to execute a number of sketches across the plate. The composition is both personal and whimsical with Denon’s friend, Aubourg seen in profile at lower right, bent over and examining a statuette in his hand. His wife is shown half-length at lower left, knitting. In the upper register, profile portraits of other friends or family members are playfully arranged; one has his eyes obscured by the brim of his neighbor’s hat, while another appears from behind someone’s shoulder.The profiles of two dogs and a cat are arrayed in regal recession just above Mme Aubourg’s cap, and a bird perches on the top hat at upper center.
The use of sketch plates, where different studies were combined on a single plate, as if it were a page in a sketch book, gained in popularity in the second half of the 18th century, among both artists and amateurs.
Perrin Stein, February 2018
The use of sketch plates, where different studies were combined on a single plate, as if it were a page in a sketch book, gained in popularity in the second half of the 18th century, among both artists and amateurs.
Perrin Stein, February 2018
Artwork Details
- Title: Le Citoyen Aubourg, Mme Aubourg, et leur famille (Citizen Aubourg, Madame Aubourg, and their Family)
- Artist: Baron Dominique Vivant Denon (French, Givry 1747–1825 Paris)
- Date: ca. 1795–1805
- Medium: Drypoint
- Dimensions: Sheet: 10 15/16 × 8 1/4 in. (27.8 × 21 cm)
Plate: 8 7/8 × 6 9/16 in. (22.6 × 16.7 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Purchase, Ellen Peckham Gift, 2015
- Object Number: 2015.384
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
More Artwork
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Baron Dominique Vivant Denon
Titian (Tiziano Vecellio)
1792
Baron Dominique Vivant Denon
18th–19th century
Baron Dominique Vivant Denon
1800–25
Multiple artists/makers
1829
Multiple artists/makers
1829
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