Lot 1057: Francois Louis Joseph Watteau (Watteau de Lille) French, 1758-1823 Une Fete Champetre

Francois Louis Joseph Watteau (Watteau de Lille)
French, 1758-1823
Une Fete Champetre
Oil on canvas
37 x 48 inches (94 x 122 cm)

Provenance:
Said to have been in the collection of Frederick the Great of Prussia and presented by him to his Ambassador Count von Rothenburg
Collection of Thomas Crosse, Esq. of Norwich, England
Christie''s, London, 1871
Collection of the Royal Danish Art Galleries, London, 1877
Collection of Colonel Claude Lowther, M.P., London
Clarke''s Art Gallery, March 17, 1923
Collection of Captain and Mrs. George H. Cobham, New York
Collection of Arthur Humphrey; by descent in the family to the present owner

Francois-Louis-Joseph Watteau (1759-1823), and his father, Louis-Joseph Watteau (1731-1798) were both known as "Watteau de Lille"- since they lived and worked in Lille, in northern France - to distinguish them from their uncle and great-uncle, the painter Antoine Watteau, who worked in Paris. Antoine, considered one of the greatest European artists of the eighteenth century, was the originator of the composition type known as the f^te champ^tre or f^te galante, a representation of an elegant outdoor entertainment. The f^te champ^tre enjoyed wide popularity with collectors throughout the century, and was a favorite subject for a number of distinguished artists.

During his youth in the 1780s, Franzois Watteau enjoyed early success working in his great-uncle''s tradition. After the Revolution of 1789 and especially after the rise of Napoleon, he turned to other, less aristocratic, subjects, including battle scenes. His best-known work is the monumental Battle of the Pyramids, now in the Mus''es des Beaux-Arts in Valenciennes.

This rare F^te Champ^tre was certainly painted during the 1780s, and is said to have belonged to Frederick the Great of Prussia, a great lover of works of this type.