Le Titre after 1756

Charles Germain de Saint-Aubin created "Le Titre," a title-page design, in 18th-century France, a period marked by elaborate ornamentation and social stratification. The print presents the title, "Premier essai de papilloneries humaines" (First Essay on Human Flutterings), framed by a spiderweb-like design. Saint-Aubin, as a designer and engraver to the court, was deeply embedded in this culture of display and luxury. The title "Human Flutterings" suggests the fleeting, frivolous nature of human interactions and desires. The delicate spiderweb implies the intricate traps and entanglements of social life, especially the games played within the aristocracy. Is Saint-Aubin suggesting the fragility and ephemerality of human endeavors, or critiquing the performative aspects of social life in his time? Consider the emotional experience of navigating a world of social expectations and superficial connections. The artwork, in its subtle way, invites us to reflect on the nature of our own societal webs.