Oil on canvas
Presumably France, circa 1900
After Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684 -1721) - French Rococo painter
Copy after Watteau‘s original composition in the National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh (1718 /19)
Gilded stucco frame
Overall dimensions, with frame: 51 x 45 cm
Good condition
Provenance: German private collection
Watteau was a master of gallant scenes, which were widely spread through his prints

The present work derives from the painting ‘Fêtes Vénitiennes’ (1718/19) of the French Rococo painter Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684 -1721), now in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh. The artist has painted the present version after a print of 1732. The seated musician is traditionally identified with a self-portrait of Watteau, while the dancer in the center is considered the mistress of the Duke of Orleans. Her dancing partner is Nicolas Vleughels, a Flemish painter and friend of Watteau.



The painting is in good condition showing some wear marks. There a few parts with barely visible dents caused by the pressure of the stretcher. The gilt stucco frame is overall in good condition, showing some cracks and losses at the lower right. The overall dimensions, with frame, are 51 x 45 cm, and the stretcher measures 42 x 36 cm.



Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721)

Jean-Antoine Watteau began his artistic education at the age of 10 with Jacques-Albert Gérin in Valenciennes. In 1702, the young artist moved to Paris, where he started working as a stage painter with Claude Gillot, and later as a decoration painter with Claude Audran, the custodian of the Galerie du Luxembourg. He was accepted at the Academy in 1708, and he became a member in 1717, after applying for it with his painting ‘The Embarkation for Cythera‘ (now in the Louvre). Watteau is often considered the most important painter of the French Rococo and is known as the inventor of the ‘Fêtes Galantes‘. His works are on display in major museum collections, for example in the Louvre or Eremitage. Greater collections of his works can be found in Sanssouci castle in Potsdam, and in the Wallace Collection in London.

Shipping costs excl. statutory VAT and plus 2,5% (+VAT) shipping insurance.

Due to the legal obligation for the resale royalty in the art market the following applies: As a result of its membership in the AV Kunst, Auctionata charges additionally to the hammer price the contribution to the AV Kunst of currently 2.1% of the revenues from the sale of fine arts and photographs pro rata towards the buyer. More information about royalty right in our T&C.