The Bower

c. 1716

Antoine Watteau

Associated Names
Antoine Watteau

Artist, French, 1684 - 1721

The image contains elaborate lines and shapes forming an intricate design that fills the page. Swirling lines and floral motifs create a sense of symmetry. The central portion appears to show hanging foliage, resembling vines or garlands. On either side, the lines and shapes could be interpreted as columns or classical garden features. The overall arrangement suggests a whimsical garden setting, with faint outlines resembling figures or cherubs amid the curls and flourishes.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    red chalk and red chalk counterproof on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund

  • Dimensions

    overall: 40.2 x 26.8 cm (15 13/16 x 10 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1982.72.1

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Rosenberg/Prat 1996, no. 234

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Edmond (1822-1896) and Jules (1830-1870) De Goncourt (Lugt 1089), Paris; (their sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 15-17 February 1897, no. 349); purchased (via Brenot) by Camille Groult (1837-1908); by inheritance to his son, Jean Groult (1868-1951); by inheritance to his son, Pierre Bordeaux-Groult; (sale, Paris, Palais d'Orsay, 14 December 1979); private collection; purchased (via Wildenstein and Co., New York) by NGA, 1982.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1983

  • Graphics Survey Exhibition, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., February 1983.

1984

  • Watteau, 1684-1721. National Gallery of Art, Washington and tour, 1984-1985, no. 70 (Margaret Morgan Grasselli).

1990

  • Gardens on Paper, Prints and Drawings, 1200-1900. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1990, no. 82 (Virginia Tuttle Clayton).

1999

  • "Watteau and His World: French Drawings from 1700 to 1750", The Frick Collection, New York; National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, 1999-2000, no. 9 (Alan Wintermute).

2009

  • Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500-1800. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 96-97, 280, 2009, no. 39 (color).

Bibliography

1875

  • Goncourt, Edmond de. Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, dessiné et gravé d'Antoine Watteau. Paris, 1875: 210.

1908

  • Fourcaud, L. de. "Antoine Watteau, peintre d'arabesques." Revue de l'Art Ancien et Moderne 24, no. 141 (December 1908): 439, note 1; vol. 25, no. 143 (February 1909): 131, note 2.

1913

  • Deshairs, L. "Les Arabesques de Watteau." Archives de l'Art Français. nouvelle serie 7(1913): 292.

1922

  • Dacier, E. and A. Vuaflart, Jean de Jullienne et les graveurs de Watteau au XVIIIe siécle.Paris, 1922, 2: 105; 3: 16, under no. 25.

1930

  • Parker, K.T. "The Drawings of Antoine Watteau in the British Museum." Old Master Drawings 5 (June 1930): 8, pl. 7.

1931

  • Parker, K.T. The Drawings of Antoine Watteau. London, 1931: 19 and note 1.

1950

  • Adhémar, Hélène and René Huyghe. Watteau--sa vie, son oeuvre. Paris, 1950: 204, under no. 25.

1957

  • Parker, K.T. and J. Mathey, Antoine Watteau, catalogue complet de son oeuvre dessiné. 2 vols. Paris, 1957, 1: no. 192.

1959

  • Mathey, J. Antoine Watteau. Peintures réapparues, inconnues ou négligées par les historiens... Paris, 1959: 45.

1970

  • Cormack, Malcolm. The Drawings of Watteau. London, 1970: 9, 20, no. 7.

1971

  • Zolotov, Youri. Antoine Watteau. Textes anciens. Moscow, 1971: opposite p. 54.

1984

  • Opperman, Hal. "The Countenance of Watteau." unpublished manuscript, 1984: 50.

  • Roland Michel, Marianne. Watteau. Un artiste au XVIIIe siècle. Paris and London, 1984: 118, 128, 284.

  • Eidelberg, Martin P. "Gabriel Huquier. Friend or Foe of Watteau." The Print Collector's Newsletter 15 (November-December, 1984): 158, 164 note 8.

1985

  • Piché, Maurice. "Le Génie inventif de Watteau." Vie des Arts 29 (March 1985): 22.

  • Börsch-Supan, Helmut. Watteau 1684-1721: Führer zur Ausstellung im Schloss Charlottenburg. Berlin, 1985: no. 56.

  • Sutton, Denys. "Antoine Watteau: Enigmatic Ironist." Apollo 121, no. 277 (March 1985): 150, pl. 1.

1986

  • Eidelberg, Martin P. Review of "Antoine Watteau 1684-1721." Master Drawings 22-24 (1986): 105.

1987

  • Grasselli, Margaret Morgan. "The Drawings of Antoine Watteau: stylistic development and problems of chronology." 3 vols. Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University, Cambridge, 1987: 303-304, 409-410, no. 186, fig. 376.

1988

  • Opperman, Hal. Review of "Antoine Watteau 1684-1721." The Art Bulletin 20 (June 1988): 359.

1989

  • Fuhring, Peter. Design into Art: Drawings for Architecture and Ornaments, The Lodewijk Houthakker Collection. 2 vols. London and The Hague, 1989, 1: 74, under no. 52.

1991

  • Launay, Elizabeth. Les Frères Goncourt, collectionneurs de dessins. Paris, 1991: 375, pl. 10, fig. 31.

1993

  • Grasselli, Margaret Morgan. "Eighteen Drawings by Antoine Watteau. A Chronological Study." Master Drawings 31 (1993): 126 note 12.

1996

  • Rosenberg, Pierre and Louis-Antoine Prat. Antoine Watteau 1684-1721. Catalogue raisonné des dessins. Milan: Leonardo Editore, 1996, 1: no. 224.

Wikidata ID

Q64536229

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