Partie du Cabinet d’Aubin/Part of Aubin’s Cabinet

Executed in fine etching by Stefano Superchi, the print employs delicate lines to render ornate borders of roses, ribbons, and scrolling foliage. The interior shelves are densely packed with miniature portraits, each labeled with names, creating a visual catalog. The composition mimics architectural framing, with perspective cues suggesting depth within a flat surface. The style is decorative yet precise, typical of commercial printmaking of the period, prioritizing clarity and ornamental appeal over expressive brushwork.

Created in the late 1780s, the print was produced by Stefano Superchi, an Italian-born engraver active in Paris, known for reproductive and commercial prints. It was likely issued in limited numbers as a memento for visitors to Aubin’s gallery, which specialized in wax effigies of celebrities and historical figures. The bilingual text and subject matter suggest it was distributed to English-speaking patrons, possibly during a period of heightened Anglo-French cultural exchange before the Revolution.

Aubin’s gallery stood among several Parisian wax exhibitions that emerged in the late 18th century, capitalizing on public interest in portraiture, science, and the macabre. These spaces blurred lines between entertainment, education, and memorialization. The print’s inclusion of exotic elements like the Chinese grotto reflects broader European fascination with the 'Orient.' Its design as a framed cabinet aligns with contemporary practices of collecting and displaying personal curiosities, mirroring the era’s cult of the private cabinet.

Though Aubin’s gallery no longer exists, this print survives as a rare artifact documenting the material culture of popular exhibitions in pre-Revolutionary Paris. It offers insight into how wax figures were marketed and consumed, not merely as oddities but as collectible symbols of status and curiosity. Similar prints by Superchi and others remain in museum collections, serving as primary sources for understanding the intersection of commerce, portraiture, and public spectacle in the late Enlightenment.