Allégorie sur l'Erection de la Statue de Louis XV (Allegory on the Establishment of a Statue of Louis XV)

Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin

National Gallery of Art

This is a print showing a scene with large statues, swirling clouds, and several people. The lines are light gray against off-white paper, and many appear faded, making the shapes and forms hard to distinguish. At the center of the print is a tall statue of a person on horseback. People stand on the base of this statue, their arms outstretched upwards, one of them kneeling. To the right and left are more statues, seen from the side, that also feature people on horseback. Beneath them are crowds of people. Many of them hold objects, including scrolls, tools, flags, or bowls of fruit. In front of the central statue appears to be a pile of rubble, including several long logs and piles of fabric. A lion crouches on the left side, partially obscured. In the top left corner, figures appear amid the billowing clouds in the sky. Some of them look like cherubs, while others are indistinct. They appear to be holding a large, billowing fabric over the central statue.