A Bacchanal.

Watercolour, 15,3 x 19 cm, laid paper with watermark, unsigned.

Stuck by upper edge under passe-partout.

Near a large tent lit from the inside, two women dancing hold a flowery banner while groups mingle under the full moon. In the foreground, two characters worship a statue of Priapus. Sablet (Morges, Switzerland 1745-1819 Nantes) was a painter of portraits, genre and mythological scenes. After living in France until the French Revolution, he travelled in Italy where he painted landscapes and people in local costumes. In 1805 he established himself in Nantes (Loire) producing small-scale portraits of the city's notables.
Ref. Bjurström, Per - French drawings. 18th c. Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, 1982, n° 1166-1168 (reprod. of bacchanals).