Comptez sur Mes Serments (Count On My Oaths) 1789

Augustin de Saint-Aubin created this print, “Count On My Oaths,” using etching and engraving techniques. Our eye is drawn to the pensive gentleman, his fingers lightly touching his lips, a gesture laden with symbolism. This motif—finger to the lips—echoes through art history. We see it in ancient depictions of Harpocrates, the god of silence, reminding us of the power and danger of speech. In the Renaissance, it reappears, urging discretion and contemplation, and we find it in religious art as a symbol of divine mystery. Here, it suggests a moment of deliberation. The gentleman contemplates the weight of his vows, caught between promise and doubt. Below, the small image of a flying Cupid adds to the emotional complexity, creating a tension between the ideal of love and the reality of human commitment. As we gaze, we, too, are invited to consider the silent spaces between words, the unspoken truths that shape our bonds.