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)
ENTRETIENS AMOUREUX

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

ENTRETIENS AMOUREUX

Sale Date: December 11, 1992

Auction Closed

LA SULTANE

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

LA SULTANE

Sale Date: December 10, 1992

Auction Closed

DEUX ETUDES DE SOLDATS VUS DE PROFIL VERS LA ...

Jean-Antoine Watteau

DEUX ETUDES DE SOLDATS VUS DE PROFIL VERS LA ...

Sale Date: December 1, 1992

Auction Closed

A COLLECTION OF HEADS, 1770

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

A COLLECTION OF HEADS, 1770

Sale Date: November 30, 1992

Auction Closed

ELEGANT FIGURES IN A PARK

In the manner of Jean-Antoine Watteau

ELEGANT FIGURES IN A PARK

Sale Date: November 18, 1992

Auction Closed

LECON D'AMOUR

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

LECON D'AMOUR

Sale Date: November 11, 1992

Auction Closed

DIE HL. FAMILIE

Attributed to Jean-Antoine Watteau

DIE HL. FAMILIE

Sale Date: November 6, 1992

Auction Closed

LE CONTEUR

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

LE CONTEUR

Sale Date: October 22, 1992

Auction Closed

DIVERTISSEMENT CHAMPETRE

Style of Jean-Antoine Watteau

DIVERTISSEMENT CHAMPETRE

Sale Date: October 18, 1992

Auction Closed

THE PILGRIMAGE TO THE ISLAND OF CYTHERE

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

THE PILGRIMAGE TO THE ISLAND OF CYTHERE

Sale Date: July 7, 1992

Auction Closed

A WOMAN, SEEN FROM BEHIND,

Jean-Antoine Watteau

A WOMAN, SEEN FROM BEHIND,

Sale Date: July 7, 1992

Auction Closed

STUDY OF A MAID CARRYING A TRAY

Jean-Antoine Watteau

STUDY OF A MAID CARRYING A TRAY

Sale Date: July 6, 1992

Auction Closed

A FETE CHAMPETRE

Jean-Antoine Watteau

A FETE CHAMPETRE

Sale Date: July 6, 1992

Auction Closed

La leçon d'amour

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

La leçon d'amour

Sale Date: July 1, 1992

Auction Closed

Les amusements champêtres

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

Les amusements champêtres

Sale Date: July 1, 1992

Auction Closed

FIGURES DE DIFFERENT CARACTERES DE PAYSAGE ET...

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

FIGURES DE DIFFERENT CARACTERES DE PAYSAGE ET...

Sale Date: June 30, 1992

Auction Closed

L'OEUVRE D'ANTOINE WATTEAU..., 2-VOL...., 1721–1728

Jean-Antoine Watteau

L'OEUVRE D'ANTOINE WATTEAU..., 2-VOL...., 1721–1728

Sale Date: June 24, 1992

Auction Closed

PORTRAIT J.B. REBEL, COMPOSITEUR DE LA..., 1721–1735

Jean-Antoine Watteau

PORTRAIT J.B. REBEL, COMPOSITEUR DE LA..., 1721–1735

Sale Date: June 24, 1992

Auction Closed

L'EMBARQUEMENT POUR CYTHERES, 1733

Jean-Antoine Watteau

L'EMBARQUEMENT POUR CYTHERES, 1733

Sale Date: June 24, 1992

Auction Closed

A SCENE IN THE GARDEN

School of Jean-Antoine Watteau

A SCENE IN THE GARDEN

Sale Date: June 19, 1992

Auction Closed

LADIES WITH A HARLEQUIN

In the manner of Jean-Antoine Watteau

LADIES WITH A HARLEQUIN

Sale Date: June 16, 1992

Auction Closed

L'OCCUPATION SELON L'AGE (J. DE JULLIENNE 208)

After Jean-Antoine Watteau

L'OCCUPATION SELON L'AGE (J. DE JULLIENNE 208)

Sale Date: June 16, 1992

Auction Closed

BON VOYAGE. (VON B.AUDRAN NACH WATTEAU)

Jean-Antoine Watteau

BON VOYAGE. (VON B.AUDRAN NACH WATTEAU)

Sale Date: June 13, 1992

Auction Closed

IRIS C'EST DE BONNE HEURE AVOIR L'AIR DE LA...

Jean-Antoine Watteau

IRIS C'EST DE BONNE HEURE AVOIR L'AIR DE LA...

Sale Date: June 13, 1992

Auction Closed

English (US)

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