Mezzetin
Artist: Antoine Watteau (French, 1684–1721)
Original Dimensions: 21 3/4" x 17"
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
About Artwork: (ca. 1718–20) "Mezzetin, a stock comic character of the Italian commedia dell’arte, became an established archetype on the Paris stage, but was an innovative subject for painting in Watteau’s lifetime. Here Mezzetin inhabits the overgrown gardens beloved by Watteau. His costume typically included a striped jacket and knee breeches, a floppy hat, a ruff, and a short cape; his personality was by turns interfering, devious, and lovelorn, as indicated by the distant female statue who turns her back to him. Watteau’s delicate touch, especially evident in the figure’s hands and clothing, is exceptionally well preserved in this painting." - (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

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