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

Not on view

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. This large ebullient drawing in ink, wash, and colored chalks was etched by the artist on a smaller scale (1977.530.1).

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), Black chalk, pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, with white gouache and touches of blue and red chalk

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