Diana and Endymion - Augustin de Saint-Aubin

A fine eighteenth-century etching by Augustin de Saint-Aubin, after a design by François Boucher, depicting the mythological encounter between Diana and Endymion.

This fine etching and engraving by Augustin de Saint-Aubin depicts the classical myth of Diana and Endymion. The composition derives from an original design by François Boucher, a master of the French Rococo style. Saint-Aubin, a skilled printmaker, translates Boucher's painterly approach into the precise, linear language of the burin and needle. The scene captures the goddess Diana descending from the heavens to visit the sleeping shepherd Endymion.

Visual elements include the soft, cloud-like forms surrounding the figures, which contrast with the sharp, rhythmic lines defining the drapery and the surrounding floral border. The frame itself is a decorative element, featuring swags of roses and ribbons that enclose the mythological narrative. The figures exhibit the graceful, elongated proportions typical of mid-eighteenth-century French art. Diana is shown in a state of gentle motion, while Endymion rests in a pose of classical repose, accompanied by his hunting gear.

This work was produced as an illustration for an edition of Ovid's Metamorphoses. The print demonstrates the collaborative nature of eighteenth-century book production, where painters provided the invention and engravers executed the final plate. Saint-Aubin's technique allows for a range of tonal values, from the deep shadows in the lower foreground to the lighter, atmospheric treatment of the sky. The inclusion of putti and the celestial chariot adds to the theatrical quality of the scene. This print offers a clear view into the aesthetic preferences of the period, where classical themes were interpreted through a lens of decorative elegance and technical refinement. The attention to detail in the floral border provides a structured contrast to the fluid, dynamic arrangement of the central mythological figures.