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Depend on my Promises

A work made of etching and engraving on ivory laid paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of etching and engraving on ivory laid paper.

Date:

1789

Artist:

Augustin de Saint-Aubin
French, 1736–1807

About this artwork

This portrait and its companion print At Least Be Discreet (1926.919) are likely based on sketches of Augustin de Saint-Aubin and his wife in their youth. The prints depict two fashionable young lovers murmuring sweet nothings to each other as daybreak brings their tryst to an end. The figures lean toward each other in their respective oval frames as if to break the barrier separating them before parting. The prints are deliciously ambiguous, for the young man may or may not intend to keep the affair secret. Indeed, the tiny cupids in cameos beneath each frame suggest a less positive interpretation: hers laments that love is blind; while his has plucked a rose, rejoicing in his triumph over virtue.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin

Title

Depend on my Promises

Place

France (Artist's nationality)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Artist's working dates 1744–1780

Medium

Etching and engraving on ivory laid paper

Dimensions

Image: 33.7 × 24.7 cm (13 5/16 × 9 3/4 in.); Plate: 36.7 × 26.4 cm (14 1/2 × 10 7/16 in.); Sheet: 40.6 × 31.9 cm (16 × 12 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of the Print and Drawing Club

Reference Number

1926.918

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/30042/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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