After Jean-Antoine Watteau, 'Perfect Harmony', 18th century
About the work
Overview
This small painting is an incomplete copy of a panel titled The Perfect Accord (L’Accord parfait), which Watteau probably painted between 1717 and 1719, and is now in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. This pastoral scene of a couple strolling in the countryside as other people make music is typical of a fête galante, which Watteau excelled in painting.
For some time this copy was described as being from the ‘studio of Watteau’, but there is no reason to believe it was painted in his workshop. Nor is it the only copy, as over a dozen have been identified. The colours are close to the original but it is covered by thick yellowish varnish. There are also visible cracks in the surface and there has also been some loss of paint. Watteau’s painting includes a bust of Pan, the Greek god of wild nature and rustic music, in the upper right corner, but it cannot be seen in this copy.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Perfect Harmony
- Artist
- After Jean-Antoine Watteau
- Artist dates
- 1684 - 1721
- Date made
- 18th century
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 27.3 × 22.9 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bequeathed by Sir John Murray Scott, 1914
- Inventory number
- NG2962
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Humphrey Wine, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Eighteenth Century French Paintings’, London 2018; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1946Martin Davies, National Gallery Catalogues: French School, London 1946
-
1957Martin Davies, National Gallery Catalogues: French School, 2nd edn (revised), London 1957
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
-
2018Wine, Humphrey, National Gallery Catalogues: The Eighteenth Century French Paintings, London 2018
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.
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