Title
The Clothes are Italian, 1715-16. Creator: Jean Antoine Watteau (French, 1684-1721).
Caption
The Clothes are Italian, 1715-16. Dressed as stock characters of the Italian commedia dell?arte , an improvisational form of comic theatre, five performers gather beside the curtain of a stage with a garden backdrop. Columbine stands in the center next to Pierrot, who has especially long sleeves and a broad, round collar. Harlequin offers a glimpse of his diamond-pattern coat as he peers over Columbine?s shoulder at the audience. Primarily a painter, Watteau made very few etchings, and this impression of The Clothes Are Italian is very rare. Before the print was published, Charles Simonneau, a professional engraver, heavily reworked the image, ruining the spontaneity of Watteau?s etching. Fortunately, three surviving examples preserve his original, in which shimmering parallel lines bask the performers in an ethereal light.
Date
0
Credit line
Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art
Reference
HRM19G11_014
Model release
NA
Property release
NA
License type
Rights managed
Available size
83,5Mb (6,3Mb) / 14,9in x 21,7in / 4473 x 6522 (300dpi)