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| Installation view of "Revoir Watteau" with the Louvre's Pierrot at center. To the left is the Getty's Italian Comedians. Photo: SortiraParis.com |
The Getty's Italian Comedians, attributed to Watteau, is appearing in an exhibition at the Louvre. "Revoir Watteau: Un comédien sans réplique. Pierrot, dit le Gilles" ["A New Look at Watteau: An actor with no lines: Pierrot, known as Gilles"] centers on the Louvre's famous and recently conserved Pierrot. The Getty painting's composition loosely resembles that of Pierrot. The exhibition will offer European connoisseurs a chance to weigh in on the authorship of the Italian Comedians, which has been debated since the 18th century.
Pixel-level examination of one press photo indicates that the Louvre label assigns the Getty painting jointly to Watteau and Jean Baptiste Pater. Pater (1695-1736) was Watteau's student and follower. For much of the 20th century the Getty painting was attributed to him.
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| Jean-Antoine Watteau (and/or Jean-Baptiste Pater?), Italian Comedians, about 1720. Getty Museum |
When the Getty bought
Italian Comedians, curator Scott Schaefer told the L.A. Times that the museum consulted 10 Watteau scholars, of which 7 believed it was at least partly by Watteau. Schaefer argued for the painting as autograph, saying that technical examination found no evidence of more than one hand. "It's so emotionally engaging that, for us, it can only be by Watteau."
Italian Comedians is smaller than Pierrot but large as Watteau paintings go (about 51 by 37 in.) Each picture finds a white-clad clown in a rustic clearing, accompanied by other commedia dell'arte funnymen. The L.A. painting's figures follow Watteau drawings closely (as is typical of Watteau's painted output). But its handling of costumes, landscape, and sky have struck some as atypical of Watteau.
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| Post-conservation image of Watteau's Pierrot, about 1719. Louvre |
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| Watteau, The Italian Comedians, probably 1720. National Gallery of Art, Washington |
The Louvre show assembles several key comparatives, such as the U.S.
National Gallery's very different Italian Comedians. The Washington painting's authorship has also been questioned, though not as much as the Getty's. The costume of Scaramouche (to the right of Pierrot in the NGA painting) bears comparison to that of the figure at left in the Getty painting, identified as Brighella.
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| Watteau, Pierrot, about 1717. Teylers Museum, Haarlem |
Also on view is a Watteau drawing of a full-figure Pierrot from Haarlem's Teylers Museum. It matches the Getty painting's Pierrot aside from a more harshly featured head turned downward. Technical images of the Getty painting show that its head was similarly downturned, then repainted to have Pierrot's eyes meet the viewer's. The Getty Pierrot's facial expression seems vulnerable, unlike the drawing. It's argued that only Watteau (and not a copyist) would have made such a major, technically challenging revision.
As I read it, the median expert believes the Getty picture to be an unfinished Watteau completed by someone else. Pater would be the best-case scenario for that "someone else." Of course, the larger question is how much of the painting is by Watteau. With luck, the Paris show may help clarify opinion on that.
"Revoir Watteau" is at the Louvre through Feb. 3, 2025.
Comments
Not sure if looking down is better or not as good as looking generally straight forward. Or just a bit below or to the left or right of an object on display. Something about labels or panels sitting a few feet below (at the foot of) an observer seems off to me.
When LACMA opens its new building in 2026 (a recent article in the LA Times cites that, not to mention the Lucas, etc), all its windows probably will distract visitors from noticing whether labels or panels are attached to a wall, towards the floor or on the ceiling. Some of them might be even stuck on the glass of the windows!