Doctor Franklin Crowned by Liberty

Currently not on view

Doctor Franklin Crowned by Liberty

1778

Jean Claude Richard de Saint-Non (French, 1727–1791) After a drawing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (French, 1732–1806)

Saint-Non, a distinguished amateur artist, completed this print in April 1778, and sent thirteen impressions to Benjamin Franklin to demonstrate the recently developed printmaking process of aquatint. The object floating above the figure of Liberty is a liberty cap on a staff, a symbol of freedom derived from ancient Roman imagery that came to be identified with the American and French Revolutions. The portrait bust of Franklin on the globe resembles one made the previous year by Jean-Jacques Caffieri.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Titles:

Doctor Franklin Crowned by Liberty
Le Docteur Franklin couronné par la liberté

Date:

1778

Artists:

Jean Claude Richard de Saint-Non (French, 1727–1791) After a drawing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard (French, 1732–1806)

Medium:

Aquatint

Dimensions:

Image: 9 1/16 x 7 1/2 inches (23 x 19 cm) Plate: 9 7/16 x 8 inches (24 x 20.3 cm) Sheet: 11 1/4 x 9 5/8 inches (28.5 x 24.5 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

Gift of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., 1946

Accession Number:

1946-51-230

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Currently not on view