A young woman lighting a candle, seen from behind

While also active as a painter and printmaker, Gabriel-Jacques de Saint-Aubin’s reputation is mostly based on his drawn œuvre, which is one of the largest of his generation. His brother described the artist as drawing ‘en tous temps et en tous lieux’ (at all times and all places) (Dacier, op. cit., p. 15). This is attested by the auction catalogues in which he made minute drawings of the works of art being sold, but also by the large number of book and print illustrations for which he provided the designs. Besides this, Saint-Aubin made countless drawings of historic events, theatrical performances and scenes from daily life. His drawings have an exceptional immediacy, which is particularly present in his intimate scenes of people in their daily pursuits. In this sheet, the artist creates a striking image of a young woman lighting an ornate candle rendered with black chalk and subtle blue and yellow wash. Most of Saint-Aubin's drawings from everyday life were not made in preparation for prints or paintings, although there are exceptions, such as a sheet showing studies of figures drinking and making music in the British Museum which is a study for The Country Ball in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles (see S. Folds McCullagh, in Gabriel de Saint-Aubin. 1724-1780, exhib. cat., New York, The Frick Collection, p. 53, fig. 6).