The Enchanted Fountain of Love's Truth (La Fontaine Enchantée de la Verité d'Amour) 1778 - 1788

Curator: This engraving before us is entitled "The Enchanted Fountain of Love's Truth" by Augustin de Saint-Aubin, created sometime between 1778 and 1788. What's your immediate response to it? Editor: Overwhelming! It's like stepping into a dream, a bizarre and slightly frantic fairytale. All these figures rushing and lounging around—and is that a unicorn I spy? A lot seems to be happening all at once. Curator: Precisely. Observe how Saint-Aubin structures the composition. He uses light and shadow to create depth, guiding our eye through distinct narrative vignettes across the scene. The foreground is denser with figures, while the background fades, suggesting infinite space. Editor: Right, it’s packed, especially upfront! Everyone seems preoccupied with this fountain. Are those lions guarding it? They definitely add a sense of danger to the whole “love’s truth” thing. I’d imagine drinking there would be quite the ordeal. Curator: Indeed. Saint-Aubin employs allegory richly here. The fountain itself could symbolize a source of revelation, while the figures around it likely represent different aspects of love—trust, vulnerability, perhaps even deceit, and self-discovery through it all. The unicorn might signify purity and innocence. Editor: I like that; love as a perilous quest for truth guarded by fierce emotions and… requiring the purest of heart to approach. Funny, that’s pretty much how it feels sometimes, no? The line work, that old-fashioned hatching method…there's an antiquated feel, almost stuffy but lovely! Curator: Consider the engraving as a print: it facilitates the dissemination of these ideas in ways paintings never could, reaching audiences with evolving notions regarding courtly love and self-knowledge, prevalent during that era. Editor: You know, even with the somewhat chaotic scene, there's a sense of peace. The light catching on the trees, those distant figures... Saint-Aubin hints that despite all the drama, truth, love, and enchantment all sit peacefully coexisting in this romantic realm. Curator: Yes, Saint-Aubin gives us an insight into how late eighteenth century notions on love were constructed—at once whimsical, challenging, yet with potential for profound clarity and delight. Editor: Well, I for one am glad to have peered into love's complicated enchanted world! Thanks for decoding it all a bit for me.