Studies for a Street Show in Paris (La parade sur les boulevards)

Gabriel de Saint-Aubin French

Not on view

The lively figure studies on this sheet relate to one of Saint-Aubin’s best-known works, A Street Show in Paris, in the National Gallery, London. In the painting, onlookers of all ages and social classes gather around a makeshift stage where two characters from the commedia dell’arte (a popular form of comic theater) engage in a mock duel.

As is often the case, Saint-Aubin was seemingly more entertained by the audience than by the performance on the stage.

Studies for a Street Show in Paris (La  parade sur les boulevards), Gabriel de Saint-Aubin (French, Paris 1724–1780 Paris), Black and white chalk on brown paper

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.