Le Vielleur or Dancing in a park,
oil on canvas, 65 x 82 cm, framed

Provenance:
possibly Collection of Monsieur H. D., Paris;
possibly his sale, Hôtel des ventes, 30 January 1845, lot 5 (as Watteau);
sale, Hôtel des ventes, Paris, 10 and 11 December 1847, lot 93 (as Watteau), sold for 1,300 francs;
Private collection, Spain, prior to 1970;
Private collection, Switzerland, circa 1972;
sale, Sotheby’s, London, 8 December 1993, lot 237 (as Follower of Antoine Watteau);
with Turquin, Paris (according to a label on the reverse);
with Luigi Grassi, Florence, 2014;
Private European collection

Literature:
J. Ferré, Watteau. Catalogue, Madrid 1972, p. 888, no. A 35 (as Jean-Antoine Watteau);
J. Cailleux, A Strange Monument and Other Watteau Studies, in: The Burlington Magazine, 1975, vol. 117, no. 865, pp. 246–247 (as doubting the attribution to Watteau);
M. M. Grasselli, Watteau 1684–1721, Paris, Washington, Berlin 1984, exhibition catalogue, mentioned under cat. no. 53, illustrated p. 375, fig. 3 (as rejecting the attribution to Watteau);
F. Gétreau, Watteau et la musique: réalité et interpretation, in: F. Moureau, M. Morgan Grasselli (eds.), Antoine Watteau (1684–1721). Le peintre, son temps et sa légende, Paris/Geneve 1987, pp. 243–245 (as rejecting the attribution to Watteau, as French School, 18th Century ?);
N. Garnier-Pelle, Chantilly musée Condé. Peintures du XVIIIe siécle, Paris 1995, p. 152, mentioned under no. 111 (as replica, doubting attribution to Watteau)

The present painting refers to compositions by Antoine Watteau in the Musée Condé, Chantilly (inv. no. PE 370) and in the Schloss Charlottenburg, Berlin (inv. no. GK I 5303).

The fête galante is a pictorial genre that emerged with Rococo painting from the early 18th century and represents an imaginative combination of landscape and elegant figures in various stages of romantic approach. Here, an elegant couple appears dancing on the right, accompanied by musicians, other couples and figures on the left, all embedded in a lush landscape. The contrast between the left and right sides is enhanced by the colour scheme: earthy reds stand out on the left, while greens and greys dominate on the right, with the bright ochre tone of the dancer’s dress taking centre stage. The colours are applied with quick impasto brushstrokes, which set the whole scene in motion and transmit the feeling of the invigorating music and dance.

Antoine Watteau is considered the initiator of the fêtes galantes, giving this seemingly transparent and decorative genre a timeless psychological richness, humour and mysticism. During his time working as a conservator at the Palais du Luxembourg, Watteau had the possibility to study the work of Peter Paul Rubens, whose Medici Cycle used to be conserved there. Rubens had indeed a great impact on the artist and his Garden of Love (Prado, Madrid, inv. no. P001690) is considered the source of inspiration for the fêtes galantes.

With his compositions, Watteau not only had an immense influence on art production, but also on the fashion of his time. His figures’ ball gowns and masquerade costumes were inspired by the shepherd plays of the theatre and enriched by the artist’s own dress creations, which enjoyed great popularity in French society.