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« Feasts and Festivities » XVIIe & XVIIIe Dutch, Flemish, French, German and Italian Master Paintings From October19th to December15th, 2001 |
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Marseille, 1712 – Paris, 1784
Fête galante in a park
Oil on canvas
37 x 45,5 cm
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| Attribué à Michel-Barthélémy OLLIVIER Marseille, 1712 – Paris, 1784 Fête galante in a park Oil on canvas 37 x 45,5 cm |
| Michel-Barthélémy Ollivier was born in Marseille, and began his career in Spain, where he stayed for some years. Back in France, he was accepted by the Académie de Saint-Luc where he exhibited a portrait of his wife in 1764. Two years later, in 1766, he was agréé to the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, giving him the opportunity to exhibit his work in the Salons of 1767, 1769, 1771, 1777 and 1779. However, he never became a full member of the Académie Royale. In 1782, he exhibited at the Salon de la Correspondance. He became the official court painter of the Prince de Conti who commissioned a number of decorative works for his castle at L’Isle-Adam, in the North of Paris. This painting can be compared to the pair of works Fêtes galantes in lively landscapes that were sold in Paris, at Drouot Montaigne, on 10 December 1996, under lot n°32 (one of the paintings is signed lower right: “ M. B. Ollivier f. ”; 42 x 33 cm; current location unknown). Michel-Barthélémy Ollivier had a delicate touch and until the end of his career his genre paintings and landscapes echoed the style of Watteau. But this painting also shows how the artist’s style could differ from Watteau’s, by using precious pearly tones and applying layers of rich paint that give his painting an evanescent character. Beneath the leafs of the trees in the garden, groups of figures are shown talking in a refined, polite manner, singing and playing music or strolling, watched over by a statue of Mercury. In the foreground, a young woman wearing a beautiful pearl grey dress, seems to be inviting the viewer to join in this dream-like scene. We wish to express our gratitude to Mr. Pierre Etienne, of Cabinet Turquin-Mauduit-Etienne, who suggested that this painting should be attributed to Michel-Barthélémy Ollivier, and who helped to write this catalogue entry. |
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