Artwork
La mort de Germanicus
La mort de Germanicus is an ink print by the Baroque artist Gabriel de Saint-Aubin. It dates from 1752 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
The image presents an interior tableau in which a group of figures surrounds a dying man on a bed, while a painted battle scene occupies the wall above.
Gabriel de Saint‑Aubin’s print *La mort de Germanicus* (1752) is an etching and engraving executed on laid paper. The image presents an interior tableau in which a group of figures surrounds a dying man on a bed, while a painted battle scene occupies the wall above. A draped statue occupies a niche to the right, and a kneeling woman holds a child near the sick figure. Various objects—a candle, a book and a small urn—are arranged on nearby tables.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts the final moments of the Roman general Germanicus, a subject drawn from classical historiography. The presence of the battle painting behind the bed alludes to his military career, while the mournful gestures of the surrounding figures convey collective grief. The inclusion of a child and a statue suggests themes of legacy and the continuity of virtue beyond death.
Technique & Style
Saint‑Aubin combined etching with line engraving to achieve a range of tonal values and fine detail. The densely packed figures and the dynamic arrangement of gestures reflect the late‑Baroque taste for movement and emotional intensity. Contrasting textures—the smooth skin of the figures, the patterned drapery of the statue, and the intricate background—demonstrate the artist’s skill in rendering varied surfaces within a single print.
History & Provenance
Created in 1752, the work belongs to the later period of Saint‑Aubin’s career, when he produced a series of historical and genre prints for the French market. The print was issued in small editions and circulated among collectors of antiquarian subjects. It later entered several European museum collections, where it has been documented in catalogues of 18th‑century French printmaking.
Artist & collection
Artist
Gabriel de Saint-Aubin was a French draftsman, printmaker, etcher and painter.
La nuit
Allegorie sur la mariage du Comte de Provence
Ciel! ô ciel! qui vois-je à ses côtés?
Allegory of the Dauphin's Convalescence (Allegorie sur la convalescence du Dauphin)
Le couché de la mariée
Allégorie des Ecoles gratuites du dessein (Allegory of the Free Drawing Schools)
Le lever
Le couché de la mariée
Quoi donc, les vrais Chretiens auraient tant de vertu!
Law of War and Peace
Staircase at the Palace of Voorst in Holland
Mysteries of the Passion