Jean-Antoine Watteau

(French, 1684–1721)

Jean-Antoine Watteau was a seminal French painter of the Rococo style. Watteau’s lyrical paint handling and graceful compositions are exemplified in his work Pilgrimage to Cythera (1717). Born on October 10, 1684 in Valenciennes, France, he briefly apprenticed with a painter in his hometown before moving to Paris at the age of 18. Watteau regularly sketched scenes of life in the city and in 1703 entered the studio of Claude Gillot, a painter of opera sets. This exposure to the artificial lighting and costumery of the theater, as well as Gillot’s atmospheric handling of landscapes, nymphs, and fauns, greatly influenced the young Watteau. In the years that followed, he studied the paintings of Peter Paul Rubens, Correggio, and others, while garnering the patronage of collectors in Paris and abroad. Many of his mature works included portraits of characters from the Comédie-Italienne, most famously the ill-fated clown named Gilles. Watteau died at the height of his career from tuberculosis at the age of 37, on July 18, 1721 in Nogern-sur-Marne, France. The generation of painters that followed his death included both François Boucher and Jean-Honoré Fragonard. These two along with others were profoundly influenced by the theatrical scenes, feathery brushstrokes, and pastel hues employed by Watteau. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the Louvre Museum in Paris, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, among others.

Jean-Antoine Watteau News

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The Getty Museum Spends Over $100 Million on Old Masters, Its Biggest Acquisition Ever

by Eileen Kinsella
The Getty Museum Spends Over $100 Million on Old Masters, Its Biggest Acquisition Ever
Opinion

Jean-Antoine Watteau's Soldiers: Caught Between the Past and Future of War

by Blake Gopnik
Jean-Antoine Watteau's Soldiers: Caught Between the Past and Future of War
Art Fairs

artnet Asks: Dickinson Director and TEFAF Picture Section Vice Chairman James Roundell

by Lorena Muñoz-Alonso
artnet Asks: Dickinson Director and TEFAF Picture Section Vice Chairman James Roundell

Jean-Antoine Watteau Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Jean-Antoine Watteau (765 results)
A seated woman (studies) (+ Peasants and other...

Jean-Antoine Watteau

A seated woman (studies) (+ Peasants and other...

Sale Date: January 25, 2012

Auction Closed

The union of Comedy and Music

Jean-Antoine Watteau

The union of Comedy and Music

Sale Date: January 25, 2012

Auction Closed

The fortune teller

Attributed to Jean-Antoine Watteau

The fortune teller

Sale Date: January 25, 2012

Auction Closed

L'accord parfait, 1700–1799

Follower of Jean-Antoine Watteau

L'accord parfait, 1700–1799

Sale Date: December 14, 2011

Auction Closed

L'accord parfait, 1800–1899

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

L'accord parfait, 1800–1899

Sale Date: November 30, 2011

Auction Closed

Tête de vieillard tournée vers la gauche,...

Jean-Antoine Watteau

Tête de vieillard tournée vers la gauche,...

Sale Date: November 30, 2011

Auction Closed

Die vier Jahreszeiten (set of 4) (etchings by...

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

Die vier Jahreszeiten (set of 4) (etchings by...

Sale Date: November 24, 2011

Auction Closed

Two hands (study)

Jean-Antoine Watteau

Two hands (study)

Sale Date: November 12, 2011

Auction Closed

Recrue allant rejoindre le régiment, 1700–1799

Follower of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Recrue allant rejoindre le régiment, 1700–1799

Sale Date: November 7, 2011

Auction Closed

Assemblée de personnages dans un parc (pair) (by

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

Assemblée de personnages dans un parc (pair) (by

Sale Date: October 20, 2011

Auction Closed

L'embarquement pour Cythère (+ Les plaisirs du...

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

L'embarquement pour Cythère (+ Les plaisirs du...

Sale Date: October 20, 2011

Auction Closed

Cinq personnages de comédie se dirigeant vers la

Circle of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Cinq personnages de comédie se dirigeant vers la

Sale Date: October 27, 2011

Auction Closed

A musical interlude, 1800–1825

Style of Jean-Antoine Watteau

A musical interlude, 1800–1825

Sale Date: September 11, 2011

Auction Closed

L'amour au theatre Italien

Follower of Jean-Antoine Watteau

L'amour au theatre Italien

Sale Date: September 24, 2011

Auction Closed

Rendezvous am See

Attributed to Jean-Antoine Watteau

Rendezvous am See

Sale Date: September 17, 2011

Auction Closed

Le bal champêtre, 1684–1721

Follower of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Le bal champêtre, 1684–1721

Sale Date: June 22, 2011

Auction Closed

L'accord parfait

Follower of Jean-Antoine Watteau

L'accord parfait

Sale Date: June 22, 2011

Auction Closed

A seated young woman, in a loose robe, her eyes...

Jean-Antoine Watteau

A seated young woman, in a loose robe, her eyes...

Sale Date: July 5, 2011

Auction Closed

Groupe d'enfants

Follower of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Groupe d'enfants

Sale Date: June 23, 2011

Auction Closed

Fête Galante

Circle of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Fête Galante

Sale Date: May 13, 2011

Auction Closed

Musizierende Gesellschaft mit Zierbrunnen im...

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

Musizierende Gesellschaft mit Zierbrunnen im...

Sale Date: April 19, 2011

Auction Closed

Le concert champêtre, dit l’accord..., 1700–1799

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

Le concert champêtre, dit l’accord..., 1700–1799

Sale Date: March 21, 2011

Auction Closed

Médecin ou notaire debout

Jean-Antoine Watteau

Médecin ou notaire debout

Sale Date: March 30, 2011

Auction Closed

Cinq personnages de la comédie italienne

Circle of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Cinq personnages de la comédie italienne

Sale Date: April 5, 2011

Auction Closed

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