Rijksmuseum

Chinese Musician

Date

1731

Medium

paper

Culture

France

Institution

Rijksmuseum

Object ID

RP-P-OB-43.788

Watteau’s repertoire was not limited to European musicians and instruments. He also made a series of decorative paintings featuring Chinese fantasy figures, including a woman with a stringed instrument, as seen in this etching after one of his works. Watteau may have been inspired by images on porcelain objects and prints from China collected in Europe around 1720. The instrument, however, is depicted with little concern for musical accuracy.

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