1801
ink
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Dominant colour
Madame de Maintenon is a 1801 ink by Augustin de Saint-Aubin, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This is a black-and-white portrait of a woman’s face and shoulders, turned slightly to the side. Her hair is styled in loose curls, and she wears a pearl necklace with a few dangling earrings. The oval shape of the portrait sits inside a decorative frame with a text banner at the bottom that reads “M. de Maintenon.” The artist used a method called etching to create fine lines and shading, giving the image a detailed, almost three-dimensional look. This technique was popular for portraits in the late 1700s and early 1800s. If you like this style, check out etching to see how artists use acid and needles to make prints.
Augustin de Saint-Aubin sometimes styled Auguste de Saint-Aubin (3 January 1736 – 9 November 1807), belongs to an important dynasty of French designers and engravers.
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