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Notes
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Three pairs of lovers embrace one another in a woodland glade. In the foreground, two archers are engaged in a game of ‘pape-guay’, which involves shooting at an imitation bird (usually a parrot) placed on top of a long pole. The two apparently unattached women watching in the background might be read as the targets for the arrows aimed by the archers, as arrows are associated with Cupid, the god of love.
Usually the third subject of The Four Ages of Man is maturity, represented by settled married couples. We do not know why Lancret instead chose to represent this scene of young playful lovers. Such encounters in woodland settings had become a popular theme in art, inspired in particular by the paintings of Watteau and prints after them.
Title
The Four Ages of Man: Maturity
Date
by 1735
Medium
Oil on canvas
Measurements
H 34.3 x W 45.2 cm
Accession number
NG103
Acquisition method
Bequeathed by Lt.-Col. J.H. Ollney, 1836/7
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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