Jean-Antoine Watteau - part 1

1721 Portrait of Jean-Antoine Watteau
pastel on paper 55 x 43 cm
Luigi Bailo Museum, Treviso, Italy

The son of a roof tiler, Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) showed a penchant for drawing and painting early in life. At eighteen he was apprenticed to a painter in his native town of Valenciennes. Soon after, with little money and few possessions, he made his way to Paris, where he made a living by copying the works of Titian and Paolo Veronese. There he entered the studio of Claude Audran III, the most renowned decorator in Paris, and met Claude Gillot, a decorator of theatrical scenery. The theatrical qualities of Watteau's paintings and drawings--their artificial illumination, costumes, and painted backdrops--reflect Gillot's influence. Watteau's subjects, often including figures from the commedia dell'arte, reflect his constant observation of the theater and the studies he often drew during performances.

Watteau invented a new type of painting, the fête galante. These large scenes of well-to-do men and women enjoying themselves outdoors allowed him to showcase his talent for conveying the delights and enchantments of nature and led to repeat commissions from such connoisseurs as Pierre Crozat. For years after his death, his compositions remained widely known in Europe through the circulation of engravings and drawings.

J.Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

This is part 1 of a 5-part series on the works of Jean-Antoine Watteau:

before 1694 Arcadian Landscape
sanguine on paper 39.6 x 60.4 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

before 1699 Actor, standing, turned to the left,
 leaning on a long stick
sanguine on paper 14.5 x 8.9 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

before 1699 Two soldiers in French Guard costume
sanguine on paper 14.1 x 13.2 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

by 1700 The Adventurer
brown wash: counter-proof (size not given)
Musée du Louvre, Paris

1700s Woman Seated
etching on paper (size not given)
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio

1705-11 A fabric merchant's shop
red chalk (size not given )
Louvre, Paris

c1705-21 Standing Man with a Stick
red chalk on paper 10.9 x 15.3 cm
Boijmans Van Beunigen, Rotterdam

1706-10 The Country Dance
oil on canvas 50 x 60 cm
Museum of Art, Indianapolis

c1708-09 Children parodying a Triumph of Bacchus
red chalk with grey wash on laid paper 17 x 21.6 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

1709-10  The Embarkation for Cythera
oil on canvas (size not given)
Städel Art Institute, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

1709-10 Two standing soldiers, one wearing a hat
red chalk on laid paper 14.3 x 8 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

c1709-10 Three studies of a soldier
red chalk on laid paper 14.5 x 20.4 cm
Courtauld Institute of Art, London
Photo © The Courtauld Institute

c1709-12 Study of four resting soldiers and a standing woman
red chalk on paper 17.9 x 19.8 cm
Boijmans Van Beunigen, Rotterdam

c1709-12 Two pilgrims and a standing woman in profile
red chalk on paper 16.5 x 20 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Germany

1709-13 Study of a female figure, standing
red chalk on laid paper 12.8 x 8.3 cm
Courtauld Institute of Art, London
Photo © The Courtauld Institute

c1709 A bewigged painter seated at his easel
red chalk on buff laid paper, laid down on cream laid card 201.1 x 13.4 cm
Art Institute of Chicago, IL

c1709 The Rest
oil on canvas 32 x 42.5 cm
Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

c1709 The Rest
detail

c1709 The Rest
detail

1710 A shepherd and shepherdess seated under a tree
red chalk with black chalk on laid paper 22.8 x 17 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

before 1710 Figures de Mode series of seven etchings 

Art Institute of Chicago, IL:

c1710 Title page
etching in black on ivory laid paper 11.3 x 7.3 cm

1710 Walking woman holding her skirt
etching in black on ivory laid paper 12.5 x 8 cm

Seated woman leaning against a plinth
etching in black on ivory laid paper 11.2 x 7.1 cm

Standing man leaning on his elbow
etching on cream laid paper 12.6 x 7.9 cm

Standing man with a hat, facing left
etching on ivory laid paper 11.7 x 7.1 cm

Standing man with hand in vest
etching on ivory laid paper 11.9 x 7.3 cm

Standing man with hand on basin
etching in black on ivory laid paper 11.1 x 6.9 cm

Walking woman holding her skirt
etching in black on ivory laid paper 11 x 7.3 cm

Woman seen from behind
etching in black on ivory laid paper 10.9 x 6.9 cm

1710-11 Three studies of a gentleman
red chalk on ivory laid paper 16.6 x 20.2 cm
Art Institute of Chicago, IL

c1710-12 Soldiers playing cards in front of a wall 
red chalk on paper 16.2 x 21.3 cm
Städel Museum, Frankfurt, Germany

c1710-21 Les Champs Elisées
oil on walnut panel 31.2 x 41 cm
The Wallace Collection, London

c1710-21 Les Champs Elisées
detail

c1710-21 Les Champs Elisées
detail

c1710-21 Seated woman with a fan
red and black chalk, heightened with white, on brown paper
22.8 x 22.7 cm
Boijmans Van Beunigen, Rotterdam

c1710 Study for the "Embarkation for Cythera"
 brush on paper (?) 36.7 x 26.9 cm
National Galleries, Scotland

1717  Pilgrimage to Cythera (The Embarkation for Cythera)
oil on canvas 120 x 190 cm
Louvre, Paris

1717  Pilgrimage to Cythera (The Embarkation for Cythera)
detail

1717  Pilgrimage to Cythera (The Embarkation for Cythera)
detail

1710c Military Officer standing
etching and engraving (finished by Henri-Simon Thomassin (French, 1687–1741) 12.8 x 8.1 cm
  Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA

1710c Military Officer standing in a park
etching and engraving 11.6 x 7.3 cm (plate) 
 Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA

c1710 Seated figure of an old savoyard with a marmot box
red and black chalks on paper 30.5 x 20.1 cm
© The Trustees of the British Museum, London

c1710 Studies of foot-soldiers, a drummer and two Cavaliers
red chalk on paper 16 x 19.5 cm
National Galleries, Scotland

c1710 Study of a standing dancer with an outstretched arm
black, red, and white chalk 27.2 x 18.9 cm
Boijmans Van Beunigen, Rotterdam