L'AVTOMNE
1723-1735
Classification
Bound print
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-224-112
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**L'Automne** by Antoine Watteau captures the elegance of the French Rococo era, a style pioneered by this masterful painter (1684–1721). Created as a bound print between 1723 and 1735—posthumously after Watteau's early death from tuberculosis—this work likely reproduces one of his delicate designs, possibly from his *Four Seasons* series. Watteau's *fêtes galantes*idyllic scenes of lovers and aristocrats in lush gardens—redefined art, blending fantasy with subtle melancholy, influencing generations from Fragonard to modern designers. As a bound print, *L'Automne* highlights the era's booming...