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Date : approx. between 1718 and 1720
Sizes : 43 cm x 55 cm
Material : Oil on canvas
Acquisition : Munsey Fund (1934)
| Item 13 on 14
French Painting
Painting
Area related
France
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| Description |  |
Mezzetin, whose name means "half-measure," was one of the stock characters of Italian commedia dell'arte. This representation of the character in his moment of ardor has the effect of a moving performance on the stage. The statue of a female figure with its back turned may imply the reaction of Mezzetin's unseen listener. The painting belonged to Watteau's friend Jean de Jullienne. The artist's treatment of the silk costume and the garden background influenced Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), who knew paintings by Watteau in British collections.
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