Artwork
Les Présents du jour de l'an
Les Présents du jour de l'an is a paint print by the Baroque artist Louis-Marin Bonnet. It dates from 1764 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Surrounding her are adults and children presenting small gifts, books, and tokens of affection, capturing the social rituals of the era.
Created in 1764, Les Présents du jour de l'an is a color stipple engraving by the French artist Louis-Marin Bonnet. The work depicts an intimate domestic scene celebrating the French New Year tradition of exchanging gifts. Set within a warmly lit interior, the composition centers on a seated woman in a pale gown, likely the matriarch, who receives attentions from a group of elegantly dressed figures.
Surrounding her are adults and children presenting small gifts, books, and tokens of affection, capturing the social rituals of the era. A small dog rests on the floor, adding to the cozy, familial atmosphere. Bonnet executed this piece using the stipple technique, a method he helped pioneer in France, which involves creating tonal effects through dots rather than lines.
This approach allowed for soft gradations of light and shadow, mimicking the texture of pastel drawings. The work exemplifies Bonnet's contribution to 18th-century French printmaking, bridging the gap between drawing and engraving to produce images of high aesthetic refinement that appealed to the bourgeois taste for genre scenes and sentimental subjects.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a woman in a pale dress seated beside a teapot, surrounded by standing and kneeling participants holding parcels and books. A child in blue and a small dog complete the tableau, suggesting a familial, convivial atmosphere. The title, translating to “New Year’s Day Gifts,” indicates the work captures the ritual of gift‑giving that marked the holiday.
Technique & Style
Executed in color stipple, the print relies on fine dots of pigment to build tonal variation and subtle shading, a method popular in the mid‑eighteenth century for reproducing delicate textures. While the overall mood is gentle, the precise rendering of fabrics, furnishings, and light reflects the lingering influence of Baroque attention to detail and narrative clarity.
History & Provenance
Created in 1764, the work is attributed to French artist Louis‑Marin Bonnet, known for his prints and illustrations. The piece has been documented in several 19th‑century catalogues of French prints, though its ownership trail prior to that remains sparse. It is presently held in a European museum collection, where it serves as an example of domestic genre imagery from the period.
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