Scene in the Tuileries: The Watering Cart
Gabriel de Saint-Aubin
1760 · Etching, second state · Drawings and Prints
Saint-Aubin saw the lush greenery of the Tuileries gardens as a setting for lively social gatherings. Dwarfed by, and oblivious to, the monumental stone sculptures of figures from Roman history, the city’s residents engage in various forms of amusement, gallantry, and labor. Idealized scenes of garden recreation have a long history, but these are distinctly topical. Indeed, the catalyst for Saint-Aubin’s etchings must have been the amenities recently introduced by the governor of the Tuileries Palace, including a concession for chair rentals and the newly devised watering cart, intended to reduce the amount of dust stirred up by visitors.
- Artist
- Gabriel de Saint-Aubin
- Date
- 1760
- Medium
- Etching, second state
- Department
- Drawings and Prints
- Credit line
- Rogers Fund, 1918
