Who painted Singerie: The Fishermen?

Singerie: The Fishermen was painted by Christophe Huet in c. 1739.

Where can I see Singerie: The Fishermen?

Singerie: The Fishermen is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Singerie: The Fishermen?

Singerie: The Fishermen is associated with Baroque.

Can I buy a print of Singerie: The Fishermen?

Museum-quality prints of Singerie: The Fishermen are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Singerie: The Fishermen

Christophe Huet , 1739

Singerie: The Fishermen is an oil painting by the Baroque artist Christophe Huet. It dates from 1739 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Technique & Style

Christophe Huet executed Singerie: The Fishermen in 1739 using oil paint applied to a canvas support.

Christophe Huet executed Singerie: The Fishermen in 1739 using oil paint applied to a canvas support. The work measures 91.5 cm in height and 143.6 cm in width. As part of the Singerie series, the painting depicts anthropomorphic monkeys engaged in human activities, specifically fishing, a subject characteristic of Huet's whimsical and decorative Rococo style.

Originally commissioned for a salon at the Château de La Norville, the canvas was designed as a wall paneling element, integrating the painted scene with the architectural interior.

History & Provenance

Christophe Huet completed this oil on canvas in 1739 as a commission for François Jules Duvaucel, intended to decorate a salon at the Château de La Norville in France. The work remained within the château's collection through various owners until the early twentieth century, appearing with the Paris dealer Fauché by 1907. In 1922, Dr. Alexander Hamilton Rice and his wife, Eleanor Elkins Widener Rice, acquired the painting through the dealer André Carlhian for the dining room of their Fifth Avenue mansion in New York.

Following Dr. Rice's death in 1956, the artwork passed by inheritance to Eleanor's children, George D. Widener, Jr. and Eleanor Widener Dixon. The siblings donated the piece to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1957.

Since 1957 the painting has been in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it is recorded as accession number 1957.13.1.

It was first publicly exhibited in 1960 at the National Gallery of Art as part of the display French Paintings from the Collections of Widener and Rice.

Overview

Christophe Huet’s oil on canvas, dated around 1739, presents a whimsical scene titled Singerie: The Fishermen. The work depicts a group of monkeys garbed in period attire, gathered beside a tranquil pond where they engage in fishing. The composition balances a light‑hearted portrayal of anthropomorphic animals with a calm, natural setting, characteristic of the singerie genre popular in the eighteenth century.

Subject & Meaning

The painting features several primates dressed in stiff, historically styled clothing, each assuming a human role in the act of fishing. One monkey holds a fishing pole while others lean over the water, observing the surface. By placing animals in a familiar leisure activity, Huet offers a satirical commentary on human customs, using the absurdity of the scene to reflect on social pretensions.

Context

Singerie, the artistic tradition of portraying monkeys imitating human behavior, enjoyed popularity in the early eighteenth century as a vehicle for satire. Huet’s work aligns with this trend, employing the motif to critique contemporary manners. Such paintings were often displayed in aristocratic collections, where their humorous yet pointed observations resonated with viewers attuned to the era’s social nuances.