author
Charles Germain de Saint-Aubin
1721–1786
An 18th-century French draftsman, etcher, and embroidery designer, he is best remembered for bringing the art of embroidery into print with a major technical treatise. His work connects court style, craft knowledge, and the lively visual culture of Paris under Louis XV.
1 Audiobook
L'Art du brodeur
by Charles Germain de Saint-Aubin
About the author
Born in Paris in 1721 and active there throughout his life, Charles Germain de Saint-Aubin worked as a draftsman, etcher, and designer of embroidery and lace for the French court. He is often associated with the title of designer to King Louis XV, and he came from the gifted Saint-Aubin family, which included other well-known artists.
He is best known today for L'Art du brodeur (1770), an important illustrated treatise on embroidery. The book helped preserve detailed techniques and patterns from a highly skilled craft world that was usually passed on through workshop practice rather than through print.
Alongside his design work, Saint-Aubin also produced drawings and engravings, showing that he moved easily between decorative art and independent image-making. He died in Paris in 1786, leaving behind a reputation tied both to French rococo design and to the history of embroidery as an art and profession.