Sketchbook page c. 1776

Curator: Here we have a sketchbook page by Gabriel Jacques de Saint-Aubin, held at the Harvard Art Museums. The dimensions are modest, roughly 19 by 12 centimeters. Editor: It has a rather airy, dreamlike quality, doesn’t it? The sketch is so light, almost ephemeral. Curator: Indeed. Notice the rapid, almost frantic pencil work. The artist captured a man with a horse, seemingly entering through an archway. Above, a suggestion of ceiling details and a chandelier. It speaks to a quickness of hand. Editor: The horse and rider motif carries such enduring symbolic weight across cultures. Power, status, journey, even conquest. What do you think it suggests here? Curator: Perhaps a fleeting moment observed and then quickly rendered, revealing a certain elegance and social standing associated with equestrian culture. The paper itself has a story to tell, bearing witness to the artist's process. Editor: It's a beguiling glimpse into another era, rich with evocative imagery and layered cultural echoes. Curator: Yes, a material record of a moment, transformed into something with symbolic resonance.