Jean Antoine Watteau (French, 1684–1721)
The Dreamer (La Rêveuse)
INV-1200
Jean Antoine Watteau (French, 1684–1721)1712–14
The Dreamer (La Rêveuse)
Jean Antoine Watteau (French, 1684–1721) →18th Centuryoil on panelpaint
Date
1712–14
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
23.2 × 17 cm (9 1/8 × 6 11/16 in.); Framed: 35 × 28.9 × 7 cm (13 3/4 × 11 3/8 × 2 3/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection
The traditional title of this small painting, The Dreamer, derives from an engraving made after it, which was intended for sale to a wider audience. The work is one of a number of small figure paintings by Jean-Antoine Watteau in which the subject’s clothing was inspired by contemporary theater. Here, the woman wears a pseudo-Turkish costume, which reflects the Western European vogue for Turkish culture (“turquerie”) at that time. Watteau’s uniquely delicate, sensitive, and intimate style influenced a number of other painters throughout the 18th century.
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