The March of Silenus [recto]

c. 1715/1716

Antoine Watteau

Associated Names
Antoine Watteau

Artist, French, 1684 - 1721

The image depicts multiple figures in a tightly composed group. Most figures are shown from the waist up, with some partially obscured by others. The people are positioned closely together, interacting with one another, with several facing different directions and appearing to be in motion. The facial features and hair of the individuals are depicted using loose and expressive lines, suggesting a variety of expressions and hair made with flowing lines. They are wearing draped garments rendered with fluid lines and shading, contributing to the sense of movement and interaction. The figures do not appear to be holding any objects or wearing discernible jewelry. The background is minimal, providing no distinct landscape or interior setting, allowing the focus to remain on the dynamic arrangement of figures. The artwork is done with a combination of red and black chalk, creating a vivid and energetic composition.

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Artwork overview

Associated Artworks

The image shows a sketched drawing of the head and upper torso of a figure, with flowing lines indicating hair. The facial features imply a profile slightly turned to one side, with eyes, nose, and lips. A smaller figure, possibly a cherub or putto, is near the main figure's face with outstretched arms. The sketch is done with red chalk on light brown paper, with a textured surface. In the upper left corner, there is another lightly sketched figure or object. Faint outlines of more figures or decorative elements surround the head. The background is not detailed, focusing solely on the outlined figures in a classical style illustration.

Figure Sketches and a Copy After a Sculpted Head [verso]

Antoine Watteau

1715

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

De Wailly, Paris; (sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 17-18 February 1853, no. 159); Baron Louis Auguste de Schwiter [1805-1889] (Lugt 1768) (his sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 20-21 April 1883, no. 174); Henri Michel-Lévy (his sale, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 12-13 May 1919, no. 135); Mme. Piez, Paris, by 1957; (Colnaghi, London, 1959); private collection, Great Britain; (sale Monte Carlo, Sotheby's, 11 February 1979, no. 51); Mr. and Mrs. Paul Shepard Morgan, Duxbury, MA; gift to NGA, 1991.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1984

  • Watteau, 1684-1721, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1984; Grand Palais, Paris, 1984-85; Charlottenburg Castle, Berlin, 1985; no. 131.

1991

  • NGA Anniversary, 1991, 84.

2014

  • Rubens and His Legacy: From Van Dyck to Cézanne, BOZAR, Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels; Royal Academy of Arts, London, 2014-2015, no. 59, repro.

Bibliography

1957

  • Parker, K.T. and J. Mathey, Antoine Watteau, catalogue complet de son oeuvre dessiné. 2 vols. Paris, 1957: I, no. 259.

1984

  • Roland Michel, Marianne. Watteau. Un artiste au XVIIIe siècle. Paris and London, 1984: 231.

1986

  • Eidelberg, Martin P. Review of "Antoine Watteau 1684-1721." Master Drawings 22-24(1986): 103-104.

1987

  • Grasselli, Margaret Morgan. "The Drawings of Antoine Watteau: stylistic development and problems of chronology." 3 vols. Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University, Cambridge, 1987: 408-411, no. 159, fig. 502 (recto), fig. 503 (verso).

  • Grasselli, Margaret Morgan. "Watteau's Use of the Trois-Crayons Technique." in Drawings Defined. New York, 1987: 189-191, fig. 13.

1996

  • Rosenberg, Pierre and Louis-Antoine Prat. Antoine Watteau 1684-1721. Catalogue raisonné des dessins. Milan: Leonardo Editore, 1996.

1998

  • Roland Michel, Marianne. "The Rosenberg-Prat catalogue of Watteau's drawings," The Burlington Magazine 140, Nov. 1998: 754, R.838 (supporting attrib. to Watteau).

2001

  • Grasselli, Margaret Morgan. Review of Pierre Rosenberg and Louis-Antoine Prat, Antoine Watteau 1684-1721. Catalouge raisonné des dessins. Master Drawings 39, no. 3, 2001, 331.

Wikidata ID

Q64536231

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