{
"data": {
"id": 110060,
"accession_number": "1928.661",
"share_license_status": "CC0",
"tombstone": "Study for \"The Romancer\" (Le Conteur), c. 1716. Jean-Antoine Watteau (French, 1684\u20131721). Red chalk; red and black chalk (upper left figure); sheet: 35 x 27.5 cm (13 3/4 x 10 13/16 in.); secondary support: 35.1 x 27.8 cm (13 13/16 x 10 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund, 1928.661",
"current_location": null,
"title": "Study for \"The Romancer\" (Le Conteur)",
"creation_date": "c. 1716",
"creation_date_earliest": 1711,
"creation_date_latest": 1721,
"artists_tags": [
"male"
],
"culture": [
"France, 18th century"
],
"technique": "red chalk; red and black chalk (upper left figure)",
"support_materials": [
{
"description": "two sheets (joined) of yellow-beige(2) laid paper laid down on cream(3) wove paper",
"watermarks": []
}
],
"department": "Drawings",
"collection": "DR - French",
"type": "Drawing",
"measurements": "Sheet: 35 x 27.5 cm (13 3/4 x 10 13/16 in.); Secondary Support: 35.1 x 27.8 cm (13 13/16 x 10 15/16 in.)",
"dimensions": {
"sheet": {
"height": 0.35,
"width": 0.275
},
"secondary support": {
"height": 0.351,
"width": 0.278
}
},
"state_of_the_work": null,
"edition_of_the_work": null,
"copyright": null,
"inscriptions": [],
"exhibitions": {
"current": [
{
"id": 350090,
"title": "Drawings in the Classic and Romantic Tradition before 1830",
"description": "Drawings in the Classic and Romantic Tradition before 1830. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 7, 1932-January 8, 1933).",
"opening_date": "1932-12-07T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 346817,
"title": "Art of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries",
"description": "Art of the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 9-December 2, 1934).",
"opening_date": "1934-11-09T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 361222,
"title": "Fourth Anniversary Exhibition: Six Centuries of Drawings",
"description": "Fourth Anniversary Exhibition: Six Centuries of Drawings. Lyman Allyn Art Museum, New London, CT (organizer) (March 2-April 15, 1936).",
"opening_date": "1936-03-02T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 346109,
"title": "Old Master Drawings from the Museum Collection",
"description": "Old Master Drawings from the Museum Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 4-March 26, 1939).",
"opening_date": "1939-01-04T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 312341,
"title": "The Silver Jubilee Exhibition",
"description": "The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).",
"opening_date": "1941-06-23T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 361361,
"title": "Original Prints and Drawings by Masters of Berlin Museum Paintings",
"description": "Original Prints and Drawings by Masters of Berlin Museum Paintings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 11-March 27, 1949).",
"opening_date": "1949-01-11T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 301184,
"title": "Department of Prints and Drawings Opening Exhibition",
"description": "Department of Prints and Drawings Opening Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (March 3, 1958-October 11, 1959).",
"opening_date": "1958-03-03T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 301678,
"title": "Italian and French Drawings",
"description": "Italian and French Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 13, 1959-February 2, 1960).",
"opening_date": "1959-10-13T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 361403,
"title": "The Eighteenth Century: One Hundred Drawings by One Hundred Artists",
"description": "The Eighteenth Century: One Hundred Drawings by One Hundred Artists. Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, MN (January 24-March 7, 1961).",
"opening_date": "1961-01-24T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 304645,
"title": "Drawings",
"description": "Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 11-September 10, 1963).",
"opening_date": "1963-01-11T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 350269,
"title": "Prints and Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art Collection",
"description": "Prints and Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 6-September 9, 1965).",
"opening_date": "1965-05-06T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 351191,
"title": "Drawings",
"description": "Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 11-October 21, 1968).",
"opening_date": "1968-06-11T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 304545,
"title": "18th Century Master Drawings",
"description": "18th Century Master Drawings. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (October 6-November 22, 1981).",
"opening_date": "1981-10-06T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 309577,
"title": "French Prints and Drawings in the Age of the Bourbons, 1589-1792",
"description": "French Prints and Drawings in the Age of the Bourbons, 1589-1792. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 2-May 16, 1982).",
"opening_date": "1982-02-02T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 309584,
"title": "Northern European Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art",
"description": "Northern European Drawings from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 16, 1982-January 9, 1983).",
"opening_date": "1982-11-16T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 311734,
"title": "Treasures on Paper",
"description": "Treasures on Paper. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 10-July 24, 1988).",
"opening_date": "1988-05-10T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 311444,
"title": "Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum",
"description": "Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).",
"opening_date": "1991-06-07T04:00:00"
},
{
"id": 311635,
"title": "French Drawings from the Collection",
"description": "French Drawings from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 13, 1994-March 12, 1995).",
"opening_date": "1994-12-13T05:00:00"
},
{
"id": 203744,
"title": "Themes and Variations: Musical Drawings and Prints",
"description": "Themes and Variations: Musical Drawings and Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 25-May 17, 2015).",
"opening_date": "2015-01-25T00:00:00"
},
{
"id": 383281,
"title": "Stories from Storage",
"description": "Stories from Storage. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 7-May 16, 2021).",
"opening_date": "2021-02-06T05:00:00"
}
],
"legacy": [
{
"description": "The Mask of Comedy: The Art of Italian Commedia. J. B. Speed Memorial Art Museum, Louisville, KY (September 11 - November 4, 1990).",
"opening_date": "1990-09-11T00:00:00"
},
{
"description": "Watteau, 1684-1721. National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (June 17 - September 23, 1984).",
"opening_date": "1984-06-17T00:00:00"
},
{
"description": "17th and 18th Century Genre and French Drawings. Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (May 31 - August 19, 1979).",
"opening_date": "1979-05-31T00:00:00"
},
{
"description": "The 18th Century: 100 Drawings by 100 Artists. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (January 24 - March 7, 1961).",
"opening_date": "1961-01-24T00:00:00"
},
{
"description": "F\u00eates Galantes. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond (January 20 - March 5, 1956).",
"opening_date": "1956-01-20T00:00:00"
},
{
"description": "The Eighteenth Century. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. (April 26 - May 31, 1950).",
"opening_date": "1950-04-26T00:00:00"
},
{
"description": "Drawings by Old and Modern Masters from the Collection. Cleveland Museum of Art (June 21 - September 30, 1938).",
"opening_date": "1938-06-21T00:00:00"
},
{
"description": "Forty Drawings from the Collection. Cleveland Museum of Art (May 21 - November 25, 1936).",
"opening_date": "1936-05-21T00:00:00"
},
{
"description": "Exhibition of Lace, Drawings, and Furniture from the Museum Collection. Cleveland Museum of Art (July 11 - September 3, 1934).",
"opening_date": "1934-07-11T00:00:00"
}
]
},
"provenance": [
{
"description": "Andrew James, London",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "?-?",
"sortorder": null
},
{
"description": "Sarah Ann James, London",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "?-1891",
"sortorder": 2
},
{
"description": "(her sale, London, Christie's, June 22-23, 1891, no. 334)",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "1891",
"sortorder": 3
},
{
"description": "(Agnew, London)",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "?-?",
"sortorder": 4
},
{
"description": "(Richard Owen, Paris, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH)",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "?-1928",
"sortorder": 5
},
{
"description": "Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH",
"citations": [],
"footnotes": null,
"date": "1928-",
"sortorder": 6
}
],
"find_spot": null,
"related_works": [],
"former_accession_numbers": [],
"did_you_know": "Jean Antoine Watteau likely drew this sheet from a combination of life study and imagination, working from a model and adding other elements of his own creation.",
"description": "This sheet was a preparatory study for the painting The Romancer. An actor in the costume of Mezzetin, a stock character of the commedia dell\u2019arte (a type of satirical theatrical entertainment of Italian origin popular in aristocratic circles in 18th-century France), interrupts a guitarist with a bold sexual advance. Another actor dressed as the French pantomime stock character Pierrot peers lasciviously over the young musician\u2019s shoulder. A more detailed study of Pierrot\u2019s head occupies the upper left corner of the sheet, demonstrating Jean Antoine Watteau\u2019s experimentation with how to most effectively depict a lecherous gaze.",
"external_resources": {
"wikidata": [
"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60753702"
],
"internet_archive": [
"https://archive.org/details/clevelandart-1928.661-study-for-the-romanc"
]
},
"citations": [
{
"citation": "H. S. F. \u201c\u2018The Romancer,\u2019 a Drawing by Jean Antoine Watteau.\u201d The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 16, no. 10 (1929): 179\u201381.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: Front Matter; mentioned: pp. 179-181.",
"url": "http://www.jstor.org/stable/25137253."
},
{
"citation": "H. S. F. \"Drawings in the Classic and Romantic Tradition before 1830.\" The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 19, no. 10 (1932): 166-75.",
"page_number": "Mentioned p. 167",
"url": "www.jstor.org/stable/25137511"
},
{
"citation": "Milliken, William. \"Silver Jubilee Exhibition.\" The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 28, no.6 (June 1941): 88-108",
"page_number": "Mentioned: p. 91; Reproduced: p. 104",
"url": "https://www.jstor.org/stable/25140932"
},
{
"citation": "The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 591",
"url": "https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1958/page/n111"
},
{
"citation": "The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: p. 133",
"url": "https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1966/page/n157"
},
{
"citation": "The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: p. 133",
"url": "https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1969/page/n157"
},
{
"citation": "The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.",
"page_number": "Reproduced: p. 175",
"url": "https://archive.org/details/CMAHandbook1978/page/n195"
},
{
"citation": "The Mask of Comedy: The Art of Italian Commedia. Exh. Cat. Louisville, KY: J. B. Speed Memorial Art Museum, 1990.",
"page_number": "Mentioned and reproduced: no. 10",
"url": null
}
],
"url": "https://clevelandart.org/art/1928.661",
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],
"creditline": "Dudley P. Allen Fund",
"image_credit": null,
"sketchfab_id": null,
"sketchfab_url": null,
"gallery_donor_text": null,
"athena_id": 110060,
"creators": [
{
"id": 14067,
"description": "Jean-Antoine Watteau (French, 1684\u20131721)",
"extent": null,
"qualifier": null,
"role": "artist",
"biography": null,
"name_in_original_language": null,
"birth_year": "1684",
"death_year": "1721",
"use_in_caption": true,
"include_extent": false,
"weight": 1
}
],
"legal_status": "accessioned",
"accession_date": "1928-11-16T00:00:00",
"sortable_date": 1711,
"date_added_to_oa": null,
"date_text": "c. 1716",
"collapse_artists": false,
"on_loan": false,
"recently_acquired": false,
"record_type": "object",
"conservation_statement": null,
"has_conservation_images": false,
"cover_accession_number": null,
"is_nazi_era_provenance": false,
"impression": null,
"alternate_titles": [
"Study for \"Le Conteur\"",
"The Story Teller",
"Study for the Romancer"
],
"is_highlight": false,
"updated_at": "2026-03-27 00:07:04.719000"
}
}