A quintessential Rococo painting, Pater’s Fête Champêtre portrays the aristocracy in leisure pursuit. The bucolic setting of this playful gathering derives ultimately from the garden party, a form of entertainment popular at the French court. Elegantly attired men, women and children converse, play music, and enjoy the beauty of the natural setting. The asymmetrical composition, free from a commanding perspective and the sensuous palette of warm and pastel colors combine to create a light and dreamy atmosphere. The idyllic tone of the gathering is further underscored by two marble putti and a dolphin, at top right, which emphasize the carefree activity of the gathering below.
This painting resided in two important collections prior to Mr. Simon’s acquisition. In the late nineteenth century, it was owned by Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839–1898), an English art collector and member of the prominent Austrian Rothschild Family of bankers. The Pater was sold in 1939 to benefit the Lord Baldwin Fund, a program dedicated to the aid of Jewish child refugees from World War II. Shortly thereafter, the painting entered the collection of Mrs. Meyer Sassoon, a notable collector of eighteenth century French paintings.
Details
- Artist Name: Jean-Baptiste Pater (French, 1695-1736)
- Title: Fete Champetre
- Date: c. 1730
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 22-1/8 x 26 in. (56.2 x 66.0 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1985.3.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Baron James de Rothschild, M.P., London ("The Lord Baldwin Fund for Refugees" sale, London, Christie’s, 24 May 1939, lot 253, to);
J. Rochelle Thomas, London.
Mrs. Meyer Sassoon, London, by descent to;
Sassoon family, London.
(sale, London, Christie’s, 30 November 1979, lot 82, to);
[Paul Rosenberg & Co., New York, stock no. 6536-2826, sold 8 January 1985 to];
The Norton Simon Foundation.
- Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum, 1989, p. 89
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1721 p. 439
- Nahson, Claudia and Esther da Costa Meyer, The Sassoons, 2023, pp. 99-100, p. 100 (ill.)
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