Les Noces de Tobie - Bernard Picart

An etching by Bernard Picart after a drawing by Charles Le Brun, depicting the biblical wedding feast of Tobias.

This etching, titled Les Noces de Tobie, is a fine example of the reproductive printmaking techniques common in the early eighteenth century. Bernard Picart, a French engraver who spent much of his career in the Netherlands, was known for his technical precision and his ability to translate the compositions of other masters into the medium of print. This particular work is based on a drawing by Charles Le Brun, the influential painter and theorist who directed the artistic output of the French court under Louis XIV.

The scene depicts the biblical narrative of Tobias and Sarah at their wedding feast. The composition follows the conventions of the period, with figures arranged in a theatrical manner beneath a canopy of trees. To the left, an angel, often identified as Raphael, guides the figures, while the central group is seated at a table, engaged in the celebration. The use of line is characteristic of Picart, employing varied hatching and cross-hatching to define form and shadow. The background provides a sense of distance, with a soft rendering of a distant town and rolling hills, typical of the classical approach to composition favoured by Le Brun.

Picart’s work often served to disseminate the styles of the French Academy to a wider European audience. By translating Le Brun’s design into a monochrome print, Picart allows the viewer to focus on the structural integrity of the composition and the expressive gestures of the figures. The print retains the clarity of the original drawing, demonstrating the collaborative nature of print production during this era. This piece offers a glimpse into the intersection of religious subject matter and the rigorous training of the French classical tradition, providing a clear view of the aesthetic values that dominated the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.