Artwork
Comedy
Comedy is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Pierre Charles Trémolières. It dates from 1736 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Comedy is an allegorical personification of the theatrical and literary concept of comedy.
Comedy is an allegorical personification of the theatrical and literary concept of comedy. The composition centers on a woman, paired with a mask, the mask being a traditional emblem of the stage and of dramatic performance, signaling the performative and imitative nature of comedic art. Together, the female figure and the mask embody the spirit of comedy as a classical genre, presenting it as a graceful, human presence animated by the theatrical tradition the mask represents.
The pairing of a personified figure with an attribute object follows a long-standing iconographic convention for representing abstract ideas as identifiable forms. By isolating comedy through this emblematic combination, the work translates an intangible artistic category into a visual symbol that can be readily recognized.
Technique & Style
The painting is executed in oil on canvas, a standard support for eighteenth-century French genre and decorative works. Its dimensions are 47.6 cm in height by 59.7 cm in width, as recorded by the holding institution.
Stylistically, the composition aligns with Rococo taste: light tonalities, fluid brushwork, and a delicate handling of flesh and drapery contribute to a refined, decorative effect. The subject, a masked female figure, employs a conventional theatrical motif, rendered with lively yet controlled modeling to convey three-dimensional presence within a shallow, planar setting.
History & Provenance
Comedy by Pierre Charles Trémolières is dated 1736, aligning with the artist's documented activity in that decade, which was marked by his engagement with theatrical and allegorical themes. The oil on canvas measures 47.6 cm in height and 59.7 cm in width and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The cited sources do not specify an accession number, nor do they record any commission, early ownership, or exhibition history for the work.
Overview
Pierre Charles Trémolières's oil painting, Comedy, created in 1736, presents an allegorical figure. The artwork depicts a woman, partially draped, reclining on a cloud while holding a distinctive red mask. This piece exemplifies the artist's approach to mythological or personified subjects, rendered with a focus on form and light. It is currently part of the collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre Charles Trémolières (1703–1739) was a French artist, born in Cholet.
