Still life with Watermelon and Grapes

Tempera on paper on etching. French school from about 1750-1770. Refined colouring of a coeval French print. The oriental subject is a young Chinese man who hints at some dance steps on an outdoor trail, under a plant of exotic fruit. The quality of the piece reminds of the French Rococo production, like those of François Boucher (1703-1770) or Jean Pillement (1728-1808), who both contributed to the spreading of the liking for Chinese representations in Europe. Pillement was the author of numerous drawings and etchings of Chinese taste, collected in two volumes (1767-71) and widely spread in Europe as models. The drawing needs cleaning and restoration. It is mounted on cardboard and comes with a frame.

Oil on canvas. The scene, still with a romantic taste due to the pink atmospheres, sees a stream that flows with waterfalls and jumps between the rocks of an impervious landscape, dominated by rocky peaks; on the shore, a shepherd boy sitting on the boulder, contemplating the landscape. The painting has some color losses. It is presented in a coeval redorated frame.