Floor plan

Style galleriesThe French eighteenth century

The French eighteenth century

A work made of oil on canvas.
Chalk drawing with red and black shading of man carrying crate and pack.
A work made of black chalk, with white chalk, on buff laid paper, laid down on laid paper.
The image shows an ancient ruin with arches and crumbling stonework surrounded by overgrown vegetation. The horizon is slightly elevated, emphasizing the towering remnants of the architecture. Expressive brushstrokes and textures are notable, especially in the vines and leaves on the stone. The color palette is subdued, mainly earthy tones and black, creating contrast and suggesting openings into the distance, enhancing the old, abandoned feel of the ruins.
Seated Woman, by Antoine Watteau, 1716–17
Portrait of the Marquise d'Aguirandes, by François Hubert Drouais, 1759
A work made of oil on canvas.

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Fêtes, portraits and still lifes from the France of the Regency and Louis XV.

First room, north wall

  1. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The White TableclothJean Siméon Chardin, c. 1731–32Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. Chalk drawing with red and black shading of man carrying crate and pack.
    The Old SavoyardAntoine Watteau, c. 1715Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A work made of black chalk, with white chalk, on buff laid paper, laid down on laid paper.
    Hercules Raising his Club: Study for “Hercules and Cacus”François Le Moyne, 1717Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. The image shows an ancient ruin with arches and crumbling stonework surrounded by overgrown vegetation. The horizon is slightly elevated, emphasizing the towering remnants of the architecture. Expressive brushstrokes and textures are notable, especially in the vines and leaves on the stone. The color palette is subdued, mainly earthy tones and black, creating contrast and suggesting openings into the distance, enhancing the old, abandoned feel of the ruins.
    Arches of the Larger Baths at Hadrian's VillaCharles Michel-Ange Challe, c. 1748Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

First room, south wall

  1. Seated Woman, by Antoine Watteau, 1716–17
    Seated WomanAntoine Watteau, 1716–17Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Portrait of the Marquise d'Aguirandes, by François Hubert Drouais, 1759
    Portrait of the Marquise d'AguirandesFrançois Hubert Drouais, 1759Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  3. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Are They Thinking about the Grape? (Pensent-ils au raisin?)François Boucher, 1747Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago

Second room, south wall

  1. The Toilette of Venus, by François Boucher, 1751
    The Toilette of VenusFrançois Boucher, 1751Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A work made of black chalk, with stumping and black crayon, red and brown chalk, heightened with white chalk, on buff laid paper, laid down on cream laid paper.
    Study of a GroomJean Baptiste Greuze, c. 1760Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Mezzetin, by Antoine Watteau, ca. 1718–20
    MezzetinAntoine Watteau, ca. 1718–20Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  4. Study of a Shepherd, 1700s
    Study of a ShepherdUnrecorded French maker, 1700sCourtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Second room, north wall

  1. A woman sitting in an upholstered chair near a vanity table touches the hair of the little girl leaning against her lap to our left, as a man leans onto the back of her chair to our right in this vertical portrait painting. The people all have pale skin, flushed cheeks, and their pale gray hair is pulled back and curled. Their pink lips curve in slight smiles, and light glinting off of much of the fabric suggests they wear satin or silk. The woman’s body is angled to our left, toward the girl, but she turns her head back to look up over her other shoulder with gray eyes. A voluminous, cream-white cloth drapes over her shoulders and lap, over a bodice covered in lilac-purple bows and ribbons. Her gold satin skirt falls around her feet. The little girl leans onto one arm on the woman’s lap as she turns to look at us with pale blue eyes. The girl’s forget-me-not-blue dress has a fitted bodice, elbow-length sleeves over white cuffs, a long, full skirt, and white ruffles along the collar. The woman holds blue flowers in the girl’s hair, and the girl’s forearm wraps around a bundle of pink and red flowers in the woman’s lap. The chair is upholstered in teal blue and has a gold frame and a row of gold nail heads along the padded back and arm. The man leans one forearm against the back of the chair as he looks down at the girl. In that hand, he holds a folded piece of paper with writing. He wears a loose jacket decorated with gold pagodas, pink and yellow flowers, and spruce-green leaves against a brown background. Foamy white lace falls back from his cuffs and hangs down from the high white collar of his undershirt. He wears brick-red, knee-length britches, white stockings, and black shoes with silver buckles. His other hand is planted against his hip, and one ankle is crossed in front of the other. A vanity draped with a white cloth sits on the far side of the woman and girl, along the left edge of the painting. It holds gold and glass vessels and boxes, and a rounded mirror at the back is draped with dark pink cloth. The lower half of a window behind the vanity is covered by a white cloth, and the panes continue beyond the top of the canvas. A teal-blue curtain hangs along the right edge of the window, at the corner of the room. A clock with a gold case of swirling, carved designs hangs high on the peanut-brown wall behind the man. On the floor near the chair, blue and white striped tissue paper, a rose-pink ribbon, and a strand of pearls drape over the edges of an open box. Writing along the front edge of the lid of the box reads, “Fs. Drouais. Ce 1 avril. 1756.” A pink rose lies near the girl’s feet, to our left.
    Family PortraitFrançois Hubert Drouais, 1756Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. This is a painting of a king, a hawk, and a hunter in a classical architectural setting with columns and arches. In the image, a figure in royal clothing is seated beneath draped red fabric, facing a man in hunting attire holding a bird. A hawk perches on the royal figure's head, wings spread, while the hunter reaches toward the hawk. Surrounding them are other figures in armor, holding spears and shields. The style is reminiscent of classic European paintings with themes of mythology or allegory.
    Le roi, le milan, et le chasseur (The King, the Kite, and the Hunter)Benoît-Louis Prévost, published 1759Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  3. The image shows a sketch of an architectural scene with structures lining a road or pathway. The horizon is not clearly defined, and the sketch focuses on architectural details. The drawing features loose, freehand lines outlining buildings and trees, with classical elements like columns and entablatures. The color palette is monochromatic, with light parchment and dark ink strokes creating contrast. Close-up details are lightly shaded for depth, while distant details are less defined. The composition is open and airy, emphasizing architectural features over precision.
    Ancient Ruins on the Bank of the TiberAugustin Pajou, 1752/1756Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Third room, north wall

  1. Broken Eggs, by Jean Baptiste Greuze, 1756
    Broken EggsJean Baptiste Greuze, 1756Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A work made of crayon manner engraving in red and black on cream laid paper.
    The Young DraftsmanGilles Demarteau, 1750/70Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago