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Seated Woman

1716–17
Not on view
One of the most brilliant and innovative draftsmen of the eighteenth century, Watteau was an early exponent of the "trois-crayons" or "three-chalk" technique, which allowed his drawings to approach the rich coloristic effects of painting. This fetching study of a seated woman is a consummate example of his mastery of the technique. Freely mixing red, black, and white chalk, he captured the young woman's loosely pinned-up hair, luminous flesh tones, and the sheen of her dress. The Lehman sheet is not known to be a preparatory study for a painting, but the model does reappear in at least one other drawing by the artist. Her gesture is not easily understood, although her elegance and charming lack of self-consciousness come through clearly.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Seated Woman
  • Artist: Antoine Watteau (French, Valenciennes 1684–1721 Nogent-sur-Marne)
  • Date: 1716–17
  • Medium: Black, red and white chalk
  • Dimensions: 9 7/16 x 5 7/16 in. (24 x 13.8 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Robert Lehman Collection, 1975
  • Object Number: 1975.1.763
  • Curatorial Department: The Robert Lehman Collection

More Artwork

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Standing Man Leaning on a Parapet; Seated Woman, Leaning on a Pedestal; Woman Walking; Man Walking, Seen in Profile
Antoine Watteau
Simon Thomassin the younger
1709–10
New Book of Different Trophies
Antoine Watteau
Chez Huquier
[ca. 1735]
L'Oeuvre D'Antoine Watteau Pientre du Roy en son Academie Roïale de Peinture et Sculpture Gravé d'après ses Tableaux & Desseins originaux...par les Soins de M. de Jullienne, Volume I, Antoine Watteau French, Engraving
L'Oeuvre D'Antoine Watteau Pientre du Roy en son Academie Roïale de Peinture et Sculpture Gravé d'après ses Tableaux & Desseins originaux...par les Soins de M. de Jullienne, Volume I
Antoine Watteau
Nicolas Henry Tardieu
ca. 1740
Figures de Differents caracteres, de Paysages . . .Volume I, Antoine Watteau French, Etching
Figures de Differents caracteres, de Paysages . . .Volume I
Multiple artists/makers
1726
Figures de Differents caracteres, de Paysages . . .Volume II, Antoine Watteau French, Etching
Figures de Differents caracteres, de Paysages . . .Volume II
Multiple artists/makers
1728

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