How you can use this image

 

This image is available to be shared and re-used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (CC BY-NC-ND).

You can reproduce this image for non-commercial purposes and you are not able to change or modify it in any way.

Wherever you reproduce the image you must attribute the original creators (acknowledge the original artist(s) and the person/organisation that took the photograph of the work) and any other rights holders.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find more images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Download

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

The central figure is dressed as the commedia dell'arte character Mezzetin, the rascally valet and musician. The existence of a drawing for his head, inscribed ‘Syroie’, suggests that it is also a portrait of Watteau's friend the dealer Pierre Sirois (1665–1726). Watteau may thus be making a witty reference to Sirois's own unpredictable nature. The mixture of theatrical and contemporary costumes adds an additional note of ambiguity; like Shakespeare, Watteau saw the illusion of the theatre and the deception of the real world as interchangeable. Despite the discoloured varnish, the picture is one of the few paintings by the artist to retain something of its scintillating surface texture.

The Wallace Collection

London

Title

Sous un habit de Mezetin

Date

c.1717–1719

Medium

oil on walnut panel

Measurements

H 27.1 x W 19 cm

Accession number

P381

Acquisition method

acquired by Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford, 1846; bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace, 1897

Work type

Painting

Tags

This artwork does not have any tags yet. You can help by tagging artworks on Tagger.

The Wallace Collection

Hertford House, Manchester Square, London, Greater London W1U 3BN England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue