Artwork
Rêtif de la Bretonne: The Little Godparents
Rêtif de la Bretonne: The Little Godparents is a print by the Romanticist artist Jean-Michel the Younger Moreau. It dates from 1777 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Little Godparents is a print by Moreau, part of a series illustrating the daily life of a wealthy family in 18th-century France.
- Accession no.
- 1980.51
- Credit line
- Anne Elizabeth Wilson Memorial Fund
About this work
You see a boy and girl exiting a mansion, dressed in fine clothes. They're walking towards a waiting coach. The scene shows a moment in the life of a young couple's family.
This painting is part of a series showing the life of a wealthy family. It depicts the daily life of people in the 18th century.
To learn more, look up the technique of sfumato.
Overview
The Little Godparents is a print by Moreau, part of a series illustrating the daily life of a wealthy family in 18th-century France.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts a boy and girl, finely dressed, exiting a mansion towards a waiting coach, while a wet nurse carries their godson, accompanied by the father and two footmen, capturing a moment in the life of a young couple's family.
Technique & Style
Moreau's expertise in depicting fashion, poses, and gestures is evident in this print, which showcases his skill as a printmaker and book illustrator.
Context
Published in Monument du costume physique et morale, this print is one of a suite portraying the manners and dress of fashionable society at the end of the 1700s, narrating a sequence of events surrounding the birth of a young couple's first son.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Michel the Younger Moreau
Jean-Michel the Younger Moreau (1741–1814) was a French artist.
