Mezzetino — The masterpiece of the Rococo period by Jean-Antoine Watteau

Jean-Antoine Watteau lived a relatively short life and died at the age of 36 in 1721. Still, the French painter managed to write his name in art history, becoming one of the leading artists of the Rococo period. Watteau’s playful and colorful genre scenes were highly valued by the art collectors and critics of his period. One of the great examples of his unique style is Mezzetino — a depiction of a character from the Italian comedy. Here is a closer look at this artwork.

Mezzetino can be seen as the opposite of another famous work Pierrot, which was also a character from the Italian comedy. They both are two sides of a medal. Pierrot is sad, Mezzetino is cheerful. Pierrot is vulnerable, Mezzetino is very crafty and can find the solutions in every possible situation. Pierrot suffers from loneliness, while Mezzetino is a great lover and favorite of the ladies.

Mezzetino (1720) by Jean-Antoine Watteau, oil on canvas. 55.2 cm × 43.2 cm

The painting of Watteau brings an ironic connection between Mezzetino and Pierrot. He plays the guitar and sings a song about the unhappy love experience. Still, this scene is more of a playful one rather than tragic. Watteau’s paintings were mostly cheerful and light, without much of a dramatism. In the background of this painting, you can see a silhouette of a woman. It might be the lady that broke his heart? Probably, not. It is a statue, more of a symbolic and ironical element of painting which suggests that not every woman will fall for Mezzetino’s charms.

The famous painting of Watteau — Pierrot. It is viewed as the opposite of Mezzetino in terms of his character.

You can only admire the accuracy that Watteau had for the details. Together with a precise mix of warm colors, the French master did a great job on the depiction of the body and particularly, arms. Every detail of Mezzetino’s hands looks realistic — wrists, fingers, and the illusion of movement. It gives the impression that he actually plays some melody. That is why his fingers look so strained. Such accurate and life-like depiction only adds value to Watteau’s work.

You can also notice how well he depicted the traditional clothing of the Italian comedy jester. Authenticism is there. The texture and shadows of every single piece of clothing are done very scrupulously — with great attention to detail. Mezzetino’s costume traditionally consisted of a striped jacket, a floppy hat, a ruff, knee-britches, and a short cape. Watteau made every piece look very life-like. You can feel the impact of admiration and studies of the Flemish masters, whom the French painter respected greatly.

French painter created this painting in the late period of his short life but compared to his other works, Mezzetino presents an example of the work of an experienced artist. Watteau was at the peak of his abilities when creating this masterpiece. The pose that Mezzetino has in this painting looks authentic for the Italian comedy character. Watteau was often a guest at theatre plays, and he knew what mimics and movements the artists had on and outside the stage.

When the painting was finished, it had quite a long journey around the world throughout the centuries. The first owner of Mezzetino was a close friend of Watteau — French art collector Jean de Jullienne. In 1766, after Jullienne died, it was acquired by the newly founded Russian art museum Hermitage in Saint Petersburg. Mezzetino spent more than 150 years in Russia. After the Russian Empire ended its existence and the Soviet Union was established, the Soviet government needed large funds to boost the ongoing industrialization process. All the previously seized goods from the Russian nobility were already sold. The valuable artworks from art and history museums seemed like a good option for sale.

Watteau’s Mezzetino was one of the many works sold abroad. It was purchased by the British-Armenian philanthrope Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian. However, eventually, Mezzetino was bought by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where this French Rococo masterpiece remains in its collection up to this day.

While this painting is the best-known example of the depiction of Mezzetino’s, Watteau had several other paintings featuring this Italian comedy character. Overall, the French painter got a lot of inspiration from the Italian comedy for his works. These theatre characters looked very organically in the charming and playful scenes depicted in Watteau’s paintings.

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