Skip to main content

Nicolas Lancret, 'A Lady in a Garden having Coffee with Children', probably 1742

About the work

Overview

A wealthy family enjoy coffee beside a fountain. The mother offers a spoon from her cup to her little daughter. The father sits beside them holding the tray while their servant pours coffee from the pot into his cup. The painting is more likely to be a genre scene than a portrait of a particular family as none of the figures shows any awareness of the viewer, as would be usual in a portrait. The painting used to be known as ‘La Tasse de Chocolat’ (‘The Cup of Chocolate’) until it was noticed that the pot is one generally used for serving coffee.

The sentiment the figures display, their solid positioning in space, the compositional balance between the triangle made by the family group and the circular form of the fountain and the play of strong colours across the picture’s surface make this one of Lancret’s most accomplished paintings.

Key facts

Details

Full title
A Lady in a Garden having Coffee with Children
Artist dates
1690 - 1743
Date made
probably 1742
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
88.9 × 97.8 cm
Acquisition credit
Bequeathed by Sir John Heathcoat Amory, with life interest to Lady Amory by whom presented, 1973
Inventory number
NG6422
Location
Room 35
Collection
Main Collection
Frame
18th-century French Frame (original frame)

About this record

If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.

Images