Étienne Jeaurat (Vermenton 1699 – Versailles 1789)

Étienne Jeaurat (Vermenton 1699 – Versailles 1789) Children's game intent on harvesting wheat (Allegory of Summer) Mid-18th century Oil on canvas (cm 97 x 129 - With frame cm 112 x 145) We present a splendid painting, traditionally attributed to the French painter Étienne Jeaurat (Vermenton 1699 - Versailles 1789), depicting a triumph of children. The canons of the Rococo period are present here, the most delicate, light, and at the same time elegant of styles, capable of interpreting in painting the peculiarities of French society of the Ancien Régime. Baroque painting with its exuberance, massive, rational forms, could not represent the aristocracy, which instead saw in luminosity, decorativeness, grace, and idyll, a more prestigious and representative language. The composition is, to be precise, derived from a canvas by Boucher, created around 1730 and now kept at the Museum of Fine Art in Huston (https://emuseum.mfah.org/objects/18420/the-cherub-harvesters), which depicts a joyful group of cherubs engaged, playfully, in the wheat harvest. Preponderant, in our canvas, is the sensation of lightness, emphasized by the graceful poses of the children and by the use of the palette, where the colors are clear and luminous, to enhance the beautiful interplay of chiaroscuro, a typical aspect of painters of this period. Jeaurat also dedicated himself to this type of subject, the quintessential symbol of the frivolous pleasures of life to which the aristocratic class yearned, certainly knowing the highly appreciated works of his contemporary Francois Boucher. The work is in good condition, completed by a beautiful lacquered and gilded wooden frame with carved leaf corners. Étienne Jeaurat (Vermenton 1699 - Versailles 1789) - A pupil of Nicolas Vleughels, a friend of Antoine Watteau, in 1724 the painter stayed in Rome and returned to Paris and in 1733 he is registered at the Royal Academy. In 1737 he exhibited for the first time at the Salon des Artistes du Louvre where he continued to exhibit his works regularly until 1789, he was then elevated to professor and subsequently chancellor in 1781. Returning to the work presented here, a similar composition, but with slightly larger dimensions, is located in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, dated 1744. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The work is sold with a certificate of authenticity in accordance with the law. We handle and organize the transport of purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery in Riva del Garda, Viale Canella 18, we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works. Contact us, without obligation, for any further information. Follow us also on : https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/