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This drawing depicts anthropomorphic butterflies dancing under a floral and vine archway. Three butterflies with humanoid features are shown posing gracefully, while another butterfly plays a musical instrument. The archway above them is made of twisted vines and leaves, creating a stage-like setting. The base of the image features organic shapes and patterns around a scroll with the text "Ballet Champêtre." The style is ornate and delicate, typical of the Rococo period.
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This drawing depicts anthropomorphic butterflies dancing under a floral and vine archway. Three butterflies with humanoid features are shown posing gracefully, while another butterfly plays a musical instrument. The archway above them is made of twisted vines and leaves, creating a stage-like setting. The base of the image features organic shapes and patterns around a scroll with the text "Ballet Champêtre." The style is ornate and delicate, typical of the Rococo period.

National Gallery of Art · Print

Ballet Champêtre (Country Ballet)

Charles Germain de Saint-Aubin

Date
in or after 1756
Medium
etching on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet (trimmed to platemark): 32.9 × 23.6 cm (12 15/16 × 9 5/16 in.)
Classification
Print
Accession number
1958.8.131
Credit line
Rosenwald Collection
Time span
1751 to 1775
Department
CG-E
Original NGA record Wikidata

Portfolio and series

Series
Essai de Papilloneries Humaines

Subjects and terms

  • French
  • Flower
  • Dancer
  • Musical instrument
  • Writing
Provenance

(sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, 3 June 1955, no. 69); (via Henri M. Petiet, Paris); Lessing J. Rosenwald [1891-1979], Jenkintown, PA; gift to NGA, 1958.

Inscription

recto: in plate, in image, at lower center: BALLET / CHAMPÊTRE; verso: at bottom right in graphite in later hand: B-21989

Marks

recto: none; verso: National Gallery of Art

Watermarks

grapes / 1742

NGA object ID 45776. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.