Nicolas Lancret, 1690–1743
Four Times of the Day: Afternoon, 1739–1741
Oil on copper, Unframed: 28.9 x 36.8 cm (11 3/8 x 14 1/2 in.)
The National Gallery, London. Bequeathed by Sir Bernard Eckstein,
1948, London, England, 5869
© The National Gallery, London
EX.2011.2.30
‘Paris: Life & Luxury’ at the Getty Museum Featuring approximately 160 objects -including paintings, drawings, sculptures and furniture- ‘Paris: Life & Luxury’ (on view at the Getty Museum from April 26 to August 7, 2011) re-imagines the refined and complex lifestyle of elite 18th-century Parisians]]>
April 24, 2011 – Source: Getty Museum / theartwolf.com
The remarkable array of artworks that form the exhibition provide a rich cultural and historical experience, closely mirroringdaily life in 18th-century France. David Bomford, acting director of the J. Paul Getty Museum, says that “‘Paris: Life & Luxury’ will transport visitors back to Paris in the mid-1700s.”
The exhibition is organized following a structure based on visual allegories of the ‘Four Times of Day’. According to the press note published by the Getty, “the exhibition follows the conventional activities in the cycle of a Parisian day, such as dressing, writing, collecting, eating, and evening entertainment.”
Roughly half of the 160 works present in the exhibition have been loaned from twenty-six museums and private collections around the world. Among the most important paintings exhibited is the beautiful “Still Life with a Rifle, Hare, and Bird (“Fire”)” by Jean-Baptiste Oudry, a pleasant “Lady Fastening Her Garter” by François Boucher, and the four paintings depicting the “Four Times of the Day” by Nicolas Lancret.
The most impressive piece of furniture is a highly decorated bed, created around 1690–1715, and described in the press note as “an exceptionally rare survivor, with side curtains and a “flying” canopy suspended from the ceiling, a form known as the lit à la duchesse (or “duchess style bed”).”
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