Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

The Golden Age

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 541


Pater was the only official student of Antoine Watteau (1684–1721), who pioneered subjects of overgrown gardens populated by well-dressed men and women engaged in amorous pursuits. In this exceptionally well-preserved painting, Pater uses Watteau’s painting technique, figural poses, and overall mood, but gives the subject a twist by depicting children at play: note the hobbyhorse and pinwheel. Ange Laurent de La Live de Jully (1725–1779), one of the most important eighteenth-century collectors of contemporary French art, once owned this painting and valued it highly enough to make his own etching after it.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Golden Age
  • Artist: Jean-Baptiste Joseph Pater (French, Valenciennes 1695–1736 Paris)
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 6 3/8 x 9 in. (16.2 x 22.9 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Jack and Belle Linsky Collection, 1982
  • Object Number: 1982.60.43
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
Troops at Rest, Jean-Baptiste Joseph Pater French, Oil on canvas
Troops at Rest
Jean-Baptiste Joseph Pater
ca. 1725
Ceramic Horn, Glazed pottery, French
Ceramic Horn
French
late 18th or early 19th century
The Backgammon Players, Philip Webb British, Painted pine, oil paint on leather, brass, copper, British
The Backgammon Players
Designer Philip Webb
Manufacturer Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co.
Painted by Sir Edward Burne-Jones
1861
Sofa (canapé à confidents), Claude I Sené French, Carved and gilded beechwood upholstered in modern blue dotted silk, French
Sofa (canapé à confidents)
Claude I Sené
ca. 1775–80
Troops on the March, Jean-Baptiste Joseph Pater French, Oil on canvas
Troops on the March
Jean-Baptiste Joseph Pater
ca. 1725

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.