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

Market

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)
Milit,risches Feldlager

Attributed to Jean-Antoine Watteau

Milit,risches Feldlager

Sale Date: May 20, 1995

Auction Closed

The cajoler

Jean-Antoine Watteau

The cajoler

Sale Date: May 18, 1995

Auction Closed

Jeux d'enfants

Attributed to Jean-Antoine Watteau

Jeux d'enfants

Sale Date: April 28, 1995

Auction Closed

Mezzetin

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

Mezzetin

Sale Date: April 13, 1995

Auction Closed

Le printemps

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

Le printemps

Sale Date: April 7, 1995

Auction Closed

L'accord parfait, 1730

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

L'accord parfait, 1730

Sale Date: April 7, 1995

Auction Closed

La sérénade

In the manner of Jean-Antoine Watteau

La sérénade

Sale Date: April 5, 1995

Auction Closed

The music lesson

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

The music lesson

Sale Date: April 4, 1995

Auction Closed

Scene from the Commedia dell'Arte

In the manner of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Scene from the Commedia dell'Arte

Sale Date: April 4, 1995

Auction Closed

Camel with an elaborate saddle

Follower of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Camel with an elaborate saddle

Sale Date: April 3, 1995

Auction Closed

Harpsichord lesson

In the manner of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Harpsichord lesson

Sale Date: March 18, 1995

Auction Closed

Scène galante dans un parc

Circle of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Scène galante dans un parc

Sale Date: March 14, 1995

Auction Closed

Solo de flûte

Circle of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Solo de flûte

Sale Date: March 14, 1995

Auction Closed

Jeux d'enfants

Attributed to Jean-Antoine Watteau

Jeux d'enfants

Sale Date: February 6, 1995

Auction Closed

Study of hands of a painter

Circle of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Study of hands of a painter

Sale Date: January 28, 1995

Auction Closed

Soldiers hiding loot

Jean-Antoine Watteau

Soldiers hiding loot

Sale Date: January 28, 1995

Auction Closed

Concert champêtre

Follower of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Concert champêtre

Sale Date: January 27, 1995

Auction Closed

Le bal champetre

In the manner of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Le bal champetre

Sale Date: January 25, 1995

Auction Closed

Embarking on Cythera

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

Embarking on Cythera

Sale Date: January 19, 1995

Auction Closed

Seated musicians playing guitar

Jean-Antoine Watteau

Seated musicians playing guitar

Sale Date: January 12, 1995

Auction Closed

Seated couple

Jean-Antoine Watteau

Seated couple

Sale Date: January 10, 1995

Auction Closed

Mezzetin

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

Mezzetin

Sale Date: December 8, 1994

Auction Closed

L'entrétien dans la parc

Follower of Jean-Antoine Watteau

L'entrétien dans la parc

Sale Date: December 6, 1994

Auction Closed

Le galant berger

In the manner of Jean-Antoine Watteau

Le galant berger

Sale Date: December 4, 1994

Auction Closed

English (US)

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