Jean-Baptiste Pillement (after)
Lyon, 1728-1806
Four studies of Chinoiseries
Pen, grey and black ink.
460 x 330 mm (x4) – 18 1/18 x 12 63/64 in.
Provenance: John Parsons, Bristol (oval dry stamp not listed in Lugt) (Fig.1)
Jean-Baptiste Pillement, often called Jean Pillement, was a French painter, draughtsman and aquafortist, born and died in Lyon. An emblematic artist of the 18th-century Rococo style, he is best known as an extremely prolific and inventive ornamentalist, whose influence extended far beyond France’s borders. His career was marked by extensive travel throughout Europe, working in London, Vienna for the Prince of Liechtenstein, and Portugal. He was also appointed court painter by King Stanislas Augustus of Poland, and worked for Queen Marie-Antoinette in France. His work is distinguished by its fairy-tale chinoiseries, blending rocaille aesthetics with oriental motifs of imaginary flora and fauna, and its whimsical landscapes painted in gouache, pastel or oil. Despite the great popularity of his motifs, widely disseminated by engraving during his lifetime, the decline of rococo at the end of the 18th century affected him deeply, and he is said to have died in poverty.
Our four drawings are after one of his many suites of plates, such as A New Book of Chinese Ornaments (1755) or the Suite de douze pêcheurs et chasseurs chinois.
Condition : Very good condition.
Modern frame, copy of antique.
