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At Least Be Discreet
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At Least Be Discreet

Augustin de Saint-Aubin (French, 1736–1807), artist · 1789 · etching and engraving

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Together these pendant prints depict a couple saying farewell after a romantic rendezvous. Still partially undressed, the woman cautions her lover to keep their tryst a secret. Both the man and the cherub beneath him proudly display a plucked rose as a symbol of sexual triumph. Meanwhile, below the woman, a blindfolded cupid steps toward a precipice, a sign that this lady is about to fall dangerously in love with a rogue. Amusingly, the prints actually depict the artist and his wife, whimsically portraying the mores and fashion of aristocratic society.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineAt Least Be Discreet, 1789. Augustin de Saint-Aubin (French, 1736–1807). Etching and engraving; sheet: 38.5 x 27.9 cm (15 3/16 x 11 in.); platemark: 36.6 x 26.6 cm (14 7/16 x 10 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, James Parmelee Fund, 2008.111.1

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