Allegory of the Marriages Performed by the City of Paris in Honor of the Birth of the Duc de Bourgogne 1751

Editor: This is Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin's "Allegory of the Marriages Performed by the City of Paris in Honor of the Birth of the Duc de Bourgogne." The scene is so busy, a whirlwind of figures! What’s your take on this incredibly detailed print? Curator: It feels like a party, doesn't it? A celebration rendered in intricate lines. I find myself drawn to the dynamism, this upward surge towards the heavens. Saint-Aubin is showing us not just a celebration, but a soaring civic pride. It’s almost as if the whole city is ascending! Does that resonate with you at all? Editor: It does now, it is like a whirlwind of civic pride, very interesting. I hadn't looked at it that way. Curator: Exactly! I noticed how the city background grounds the allegory in a very specific place. Editor: It is neat how the city background really balances the whole piece.