Watteau, Antoine (1684-1721)
Acteurs de la Comedie-Francaise (Actors of the Comédie-Française)
1711–1712
Oil on panel, 20 × 25 cm
Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg
Watteau was very fond of the play Les trois cousines (The Three Cousins) by Florent Carton, known as Dancourt, and here we see portraits of the actors who played in it at the Comedie-Francaise. Since the 18th century the painting has had eight different titles, among them Actors of the Italian Comedy, since the subjects were identified with the heroes of the famous Commedia dell’Arte. We know the names of all the actors, except for the girl in the striped dress: to the left, the young woman in a high cap is an actress who won the hearts of all with her acting skill and marvellous voice, Christine Antoinette Charlotte Desmars; opposite her is Pierre Le Noir La Thorilliere, who studied under Moliere himself and was famous for his comedy roles; the young man in the beret is the Philippe Poisson, who played opposite Mlle Demares in Les trois cousines. This kind of group portrait is a rare exception in the work of Watteau. (SHM)