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Pierrot (formerly known as Gilles)
Antoine Watteau · Rococo & Neoclassicism
- Artist
- Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684–1721)
- Date
- c. 1718–1719
- Dimensions
- 185 x 150 cm
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- Musée du Louvre, Paris, France
Pierrot shows a life-size clown from the Italian comedy standing stiffly in a white satin costume, arms hanging at his sides, facing the viewer. Behind him, half hidden by a slope, other actors lead a donkey.
A closer look
The figure is unusually large and solitary for Watteau, who usually painted small, graceful groups. Pierrot stands like a statue, his loose white costume painted in shimmering greys, blues and pinks, his face expressionless or perhaps melancholy. His companions, among them the Doctor on the donkey, seem to ignore him. The painting may have served as a sign for a café run by a retired actor. Its mixture of comedy and loneliness has fascinated poets and artists, who saw in Pierrot an image of the misunderstood artist.
More by Antoine Watteau
In this gallery
Famous works elsewhere
- The Shop Sign of Gersaint 1720
- Nymph and Satyr 1716