Artwork
The Picnic
The Picnic is a print by the Romanticist artist Charles Philibert Lasteyrie du Saillant. It dates from 1810 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 1940.1138
- Credit line
- Mr. and Mrs. Lewis B. Williams Collection
About this work
Lasteyrie helped start lithography in France after learning it in Germany.
This painting shows three people sitting on the grass near a river. A man in a dark coat watches the woman beside him. She holds a book and looks away.
Lasteyrie helped start lithography in France after learning it in Germany. He later ran a print shop in Paris with a partner. The scene feels relaxed but formal, like a snapshot of high society.
This artist also worked with early photographers. Check out Charles Philibert Lasteyrie du Saillant (French, 1759–1849).
Overview
The Picnic is a print that captures a serene scene of three figures in a natural setting.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts three people seated on grass near a river, with a man observing a woman beside him, who holds a book and gazes away, suggesting a moment of quiet contemplation or social interaction.
Technique & Style
The work is a lithograph, a technique introduced to France by Charles Philibert Lasteyrie du Saillant after he trained with Alois Senefelder in Germany, and later utilized by various artists, including this one, in his Parisian print shop.
History & Provenance
Lasteyrie's establishment of a lithographic print shop in Paris in 1816 marked the beginning of lithography in France, with artists like Antoine-Jean Gros and the Vernet brothers among the first to create original designs for the medium.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Philibert Lasteyrie du Saillant
Charles Philibert Lasteyrie du Saillant (1759–1849) was a French artist.
