Artwork
Fête galante in a Landscape
Fête galante in a Landscape is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jean-Baptiste Pater. It dates from 1730 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
5 cm in width, producing a horizontal format suited to an open landscape populated by figures.
Fête galante in a Landscape is an oil painting executed on canvas, a support-and-medium combination typical of Pater's small-scale cabinet pictures of the early 1730s. The canvas measures 50.5 cm in height by 60.5 cm in width, producing a horizontal format suited to an open landscape populated by figures.
Stylistically, the work belongs to the fête galante tradition, a genre Pater inherited from his teacher Antoine Watteau and devoted himself to almost exclusively. Its landscape classification reflects the integration of pastoral scenery with elegantly dressed figures at leisure, a hallmark of the painter's output during this period.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 1907 as part of a bequest from the collection of Victor de Stuers, who had acquired it earlier that decade. Its creation date has been fixed to 1730 by the museum’s records, aligning with the artist’s known period of activity. The work is documented in the artist’s oeuvre as a fête galante, a genre associated with Antoine Watteau and subsequently adopted by Pater, indicating it was likely produced for the private market rather than a specific commission.
The painting is held at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where it is recorded with accession number SK-C-2179.
Its exhibition history includes inclusion in the 2016 exhibition “Highlights from the Rijksmuseum” held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum and the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, as well as the 2017 presentation “Masterpieces from the Rijksmuseum” at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.
Overview
Fête galante in a Landscape is a painting created by Jean-Baptiste Pater in 1730 using oil on canvas. It is a characteristic example of the rococo style and is held in the Rijksmuseum's collection.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a group of elegantly dressed figures in a park, featuring women in expansive skirts and powdered wigs, and men in loose jackets. A small dog and a stone pillar with a broken vase add to the tranquil atmosphere, set against a backdrop of trees, hills, and a distant ruin.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Baptiste Pater (December 29, 1695 – July 25, 1736) was a French rococo painter.
