Fête Galante: La Barque De Plaisir

Medium: Oil On Canvas
Size: 75 x 93.4 cm (29.5 x 36.8 in)

Provenance: J. W. Q. D.., Esq, of London, Sale, Paris, 25 Feb, 1869, no 55 (4000 francs) where acquired by the ancestors of M. ..A-F.; by descent in the family of A-F, Chateau de B.... 1869-1996.

Like his master Watteau, Pater was born in Valenciennes, in the northeast of France. Brought up in Flanders, it is unsurprising that both artists demonstrated a susceptibility to the influence of Netherlandish painting, tempered with the refinement that characterized French rococo art. Pater demonstrated an early facility as a draftsman and his obvious talent led him to Paris and the studio of his compatriot, whose closest disciple he became. Unfortunately Watteau proved a difficult personality to work with and while his influence remained constant, Pater found himself unable to remain as the older artist’s assistant, and soon established an independent reputation. This was given public recognition by his election to membership of the Royal Academy on 31 December 1728 at the age of thirty-three. Pater was hard-working and, during his short career, prolific, producing hundreds of delightful drawings and (according to the author of the catalogue raisonné of his work), some painted compositions, several in more than one version. Determined to amass a fortune, Pater deprived himself of all but essentials in his daily life, living like a pauper. This exhausting schedule proved to be a great strain on his health and he died at the age of forty.

This example is the larger of his two versions of the composition. While the idea is his own, we may observe here even more than usual Pater’s dedication to draftsmanship, and his debt to Watteau. Anyone of these figures could have come from one of his master’s paintings, similar carefully posed figures may be found in the work of Watteau and the subject is one which Watteau could easily have chosen. Even the little landscape and the village nestling in the distant valley could have been the subject of one of his master’s red chalk drawings. Yet, the painting is still distinctly the work of Pater and could not be confused with that of any other. Pater’s palette is peculiar to himself, and he is responding to the same northern influences that had inspired Watteau while reinterpreting them once again. This composition exists in a smaller variant, formerly in the Henri de Rothschild collection (Ingersoll-Smouse, no 70).