The First Come Best Served

1786

Antoine-François Sergent after Augustin de Saint-Aubin

Associated Names
Antoine-François Sergent

Artist, French, 1751 - 1847

Augustin de Saint-Aubin

Artist After, French, 1736 - 1807

The image shows a woman seated on a bed, with disheveled sheets. Her body is turned to the side as she looks down towards her chest, resting her head against her hand. She wears a long, light-colored dress with loose sleeves. There are a few indistinct figures lying down around her, and a small cat sits by her feet. In the foreground, a man in a hat peeks into the scene from an open door, looking surprised. The background shows a shadowy room with drapery around the bed. The lighting emphasizes the soft, intimate atmosphere of the setting. Below the scene, the words "The first Come first served" are inscribed.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    etching and wash manner printed in brown on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    image (oval): 16.5 × 19.2 cm (6 1/2 × 7 9/16 in.)
    plate: 26.1 × 30.3 cm (10 1/4 × 11 15/16 in.)
    sheet: 29.3 × 45.3 cm (11 9/16 × 17 13/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.2462


Artwork history & notes

Bibliography

1879

  • Bocher, Emmanuel. Augustin de Saint-Aubin. Les gravures francaises du XVIIIe siecle, 5. Paris, 1879: 404 iv/iv.

Inscriptions

recto: in plate, below image, at left: A. d S. A. del; in plate, below image, at right: A. Ser...scul 1786; in plate, below image, at center: The first Come best served

Wikidata ID

Q64953806

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