Artwork
The See-Saw
The See-Saw is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Nicolas Lancret. It dates from 1723 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Set against a backdrop featuring a tree, the composition captures a moment of lighthearted interaction typical of the artist's focus on festive rural life.
Nicolas Lancret's 1723 oil painting, The See-Saw, depicts a pastoral scene centered on a girl and a boy engaged in play upon a seesaw. Set against a backdrop featuring a tree, the composition captures a moment of lighthearted interaction typical of the artist's focus on festive rural life. The work illustrates the dynamic balance of the children as they ascend and descend on the wooden plank, a motif often associated with the themes of courtship and the fleeting nature of youth in 18th-century French art.
While the specific symbolic interpretation is not detailed in the provided records, the inclusion of natural elements like the tree alongside the figures of the boy and girl establishes a setting of leisure and innocence.
Technique & Style
The See-Saw is executed in oil paint on canvas, a standard support for Nicolas Lancret's easel paintings of the early 1720s. The work's tall, narrow format, measuring 150.7 cm in height by 89.4 cm in width, gives the composition a vertical orientation that frames the figures of the girl and boy playing on a seesaw within an outdoor setting of trees. The handling reflects Lancret's characteristic Rococo approach, with light, fluid brushwork suited to the fête galante subject matter.
The painting is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where its condition is maintained under standard museum conservation protocols.
History & Provenance
The See‑Saw is an oil on canvas painting executed in 1723 by French artist Nicolas Lancret. According to the documented record, the work was created in France and originally entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it remains today;. The painting measures 150.7 cm by 89.4 cm and depicts a seesaw with a girl and a boy beneath a tree.
Its provenance indicates a direct acquisition by the museum shortly after its creation, with no subsequent owners recorded. The dating of 1723 is confirmed by the museum’s catalog entry and the artist’s active period in the early 18th century.
The See-Saw, painted by Nicolas Lancret in 1723, is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Its inventory designation is 1948.176.4, indicating the accession year of 1948. The work is catalogued as an oil painting on canvas and measures 150.7 by 89.4 centimeters.
No exhibition history beyond its placement at the Cleveland Museum of Art is documented in the available sources.
Overview
Nicolas Lancret's The See-Saw, painted in 1723, is a quintessential example of French Rococo genre painting that captures the playful elegance of aristocratic leisure. The composition centers on two figures engaged in a game on a seesaw within a landscaped garden setting. A young woman in a blue dress leans backward with her arms extended, while a young man in red leans forward, reaching toward her in a gesture of flirtatious interaction.
The scene is framed by trees and enclosed by an ornate, decorative border featuring intricate scrollwork, miniature houses, and small animals such as birds and a squirrel perched along the top edge. This framing device, reminiscent of a theatrical proscenium or a toy theater, emphasizes the staged, playful nature of the interaction. Created during the Regency period, the work reflects Lancret's specialization in depicting the fêtes galantes and the refined amusements of the upper class, bridging the gap between the grandeur of Watteau and the lighter, more intimate scenes of 18th-century French society.
The painting exemplifies the artist's skill in rendering delicate fabrics, expressive gestures, and the atmospheric light characteristic of the era.
Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolas Lancret (French pronunciation:; 22 January 1690 – 14 September 1743) was a French painter.
