The Duel (Le Duel), from Essay on Butterflies Masquerading as Humans (Essai de Papilloneries Humaines)
This print is from a whimsical series that depicts butterflies participating in a variety of human activities. The use of butterflies, papillon in French, may have been inspired by the verb papillonner, which had been invented earlier in the century to describe actions that are spontaneous and lighthearted.
In The Duel, two butterflies with noble bearing engage in a fencing match as their seconds look on from hanging ladders.
In The Duel, two butterflies with noble bearing engage in a fencing match as their seconds look on from hanging ladders.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Duel (Le Duel), from Essay on Butterflies Masquerading as Humans (Essai de Papilloneries Humaines)
- Artist: Charles Germain de Saint-Aubin (French, Paris 1721–1786 Paris)
- Date: ca. 1756–60
- Medium: Etching; first state of two
- Dimensions: plate: 12 15/16 x 9 5/16 in. (32.9 x 23.7 cm)
sheet: 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 in. (39.4 x 26.6 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund and Rogers Fund, 1982
- Object Number: 1982.1101.4
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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Multiple artists/makers
n.d. [before 1770]
Multiple artists/makers
18th century
Charles Germain de Saint-Aubin
ca.1750–80
Multiple artists/makers
mid-18th century
Charles Germain de Saint-Aubin
ca. 1748
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