Man in tricorn hat and overcoat, shown in frontal view and holding a staff with a winding vine, landscape with trees beyond

Art Historical Context

Step into the elegant world of early 18th-century France this captivating etching and engraving, *Man in Tricorn Hat and Overcoat*, around 1710–39. Attributed to Antoine Watteau the master of Rococo fantasy, with engraving by Louis Desplaces, print depicts a dignified gentleman facing forward, clad in a tricorn hat and flowing overcoat. He grips a staff entwined with a winding vine evoking pastoral grace, while a serene landscape of trees stretches beyond, blending portraiture with idyllic nature. Watteau (1684–1721), renowned for his fêtes galantes—scenes of lovers and revelry in lush gardens—often inspired reproductive prints like this one. Desplaces, a skilled engraver, meticulously translated Watteau's fluid designs into intricate lines, combining etching's spontaneity with engraving's precision. This technique allowed Watteau's delicate, atmospheric style to reach collectors across Europe, democratizing high art during the Regency era under Louis XV. Measuring a modest 7 3/16 x 4 11/16 inches, this work from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Drawings and Prints department highlights the tricorn's iconic status in men's fashion and the vine's symbolic nod to vitality. Bequeathed by Phyllis Massar in 2011, it invites us to ponder the era's blend of urban sophistication and romantic escapism.

About the Artist

Antoine Watteau|Louis Desplaces · 1684–1721

Jean-Antoine Watteau, born in 1684 in Valenciennes to a modest family—his father a roofer named Jean-Philippe Watteau—was the second of four sons who displayed an early passion for art. After initial apprenticeship under local painter Jacques-Albert Gérin, he moved to Paris around 1702, working in workshops copying Flemish and Dutch genre scenes. By 1705, he entered the studio of Claude Gillot, ab...