Mezzetino (Watteau) Explained

Mezzetino
Artist:Jean-Antoine Watteau
Subject:Mezzetino playing guitar
Year: 1718–1720
Material:Oil on canvas
Height Metric:55.2
Width Metric:43.2
City:New York City
Museum:Metropolitan Museum of Art
Accession:34.138

Mezzetino (; French: Mézetin) is an oil-on-canvas painting in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, by the French Rococo painter Jean-Antoine Watteau. Dated within 1717–1720, Mezzetino forms a full-length single-figure composition, depicting the eponymous character in commedia dell'arte. In the 18th century, Mezzetino was owned by Jean de Jullienne, the friend and patron of Watteau who supervised the four-volume edition of prints after the artist's works, for which the picture was engraved by Benoit Audran the Elder; after Jullienne's death in 1766, it was acquired for the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg, then recently established by Empress Catherine II of Russia. During the Soviet sales in the 1920s and 1930s, Mezzetino was sold to British-American businessman Calouste Gulbenkian; it was later sold to the Wildenstein art firm in Paris and New York, from which it was bought in 1934 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains; the institution also owns a preparatory study—a drawing of the man's head.[1]

Mezzetino was a comedy character, based on Harlequin but with his own distinctive costume, who was introduced for the first time by the Théâtre italien de Paris actor Angelo Costantini on October 16, 1683. Constantini's expressive face allowed him to portray the role without a mask, a tradition kept alive by all successive Mezzetinos. That novelty attracted Watteau, who featured Mezzetino in several of his works. In the picture, Mezzetino is playing his guitar and singing, his eyes lifted as if towards an unseen balcony. The statue of Venus behind him is facing away, suggesting that his feelings are not shared by the lady she represents. Although the model for Mezzetino is not known, the fact that Jean de Jullienne, who, while selling a number of Watteau's works through his life, still kept Mezzetino, suggests he may have fulfilled the role.

Exhibition history

List of exhibitions featuring the work! Year! Title! Location! Cat. no.
1934A Century of ProgressArt Institute, Chicago154[2] [3]
1935Exposition de l'art français au XVIIIe siècle / Udstillingen af frankrigs kunst fra det XVIII. aarhundredeCharlottenborg Palace, Copenhagen260
French Painting and Sculpture of the XVIII CenturyMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York5
1937Chefs d'œuvre de l'art françaisPalais National des Arts, Paris231
1951Wildenstein Jubilee Loan Exhibition, 1901-1951: Masterpieces From Museums and Private CollectionsWildenstein & Company Building, New York17
1952–1953Art Treasures of the MetropolitanMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York127[4]
1970Masterpieces of Painting in The Metropolitan Museum of ArtMuseum of Fine Arts, Boston
1970–1971Masterpieces of Fifty CenturiesMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York303[6]
1977Paris — New York, A Continuing RomanceWildenstein & Company Building, New York54
1984–1985Watteau 1684–1721National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris; Charlottenburg Palace, BerlinP. 49
2003–2004The Age of Watteau, Chardin, and Fragonard: Masterpieces of French Genre PaintingNational Gallery of Canada, Ottawa; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Gemäldegalerie, Berlin10
2009Watteau, Music, and TheaterMetropolitan Museum of Art, New York12
General references: ; .
"*" denotes an unnumbered entry.

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mezzetin. Metropolitan Museum of Art. 18 October 2018.
  2. Book: Art Institute, Chicago. Catalogue of A Century of Progress Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture. Art Institute. 1934. Chicago. 27. 68667579. the Internet Archive.
  3. Book: Bulliet, C. J.. 1934 Art Masterpieces in a Сentury of Progress. Sterling North. 1934. Chicago. 37. exhibition catalogue. 1145795843. registration. the Internet Archive.
  4. Book: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Art Treasures of the Metropolitan. H. N. Abrams. 1952. New York. 230. exhibition catalogue. registration. the Internet Archive.
  5. Book: Standen, Edith A.. Masterpieces of Painting in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York Graphic Society. 1970. New York. 66. 978-0-87099-015-1 . 1036384751. registration. the Internet Archive.
  6. Book: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Masterpieces of Fifty Centuries. Dutton. 1970. 0525039503. New York. 274. exhibition catalogue. 930453793. registration. the Internet Archive.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mezzetino (Watteau)".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.