Artwork
The Vineyard
The Vineyard 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
Technique & Style
As a French painting from the early 18th century, it depicts a landscape scene featuring trees, consistent with the artist's focus on rural subjects.
Nicolas Lancret's The Vineyard, created in 1723, is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The work measures approximately 150.3 cm in height and 82.3 cm in width. As a French painting from the early 18th century, it depicts a landscape scene featuring trees, consistent with the artist's focus on rural subjects.
The medium of oil paint allows for the detailed rendering of the natural environment and figures typical of Lancret's style during this period.
History & Provenance
The Vineyard was painted by Nicolas Lancret in 1723 in France, executed in oil on canvas. The work entered the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under accession number 1948.176.3. Beyond this, the available sources do not document the original commissioner, the chain of prior ownership, or the circumstances of its creation.
Overview
Nicolas Lancret, a French artist of the early 18th century, completed The Vineyard in 1723. This oil painting, now part of the Cleveland Museum of Art's collection, exemplifies the Rococo movement. It portrays a man and a woman engaged in a gentle exchange within a verdant, wooded landscape, reflecting the period's interest in pastoral scenes and refined social interactions.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a serene encounter between a man and a woman in a lush, natural setting. The man, clad in a red jacket and hat, extends a basket towards the woman, who is seated on a barrel in a blue dress, reaching out to receive it. Their interaction conveys a sense of contentment and ease, framed by green and yellow foliage and birds in flight. This lighthearted scene aligns with Lancret's characteristic portrayals of elegant leisure.
Context
Created during a period of cultural transition in France, The Vineyard reflects the prevailing tastes of the early 18th century. The artwork emerged under the regency of the Duke of Orleans and the nascent reign of King Louis XV, a time when French society favored art that celebrated refined social interactions and idyllic, often playful, outdoor settings. Lancret's work consistently captured this spirit, offering a visual record of the era's sophisticated leisure.
Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolas Lancret (French pronunciation:; 22 January 1690 – 14 September 1743) was a French painter.
