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| Hyacinthe Rigaud Portrait of Louis XIV 1701 oil on canvas Louvre |
"As so often happens at the end of a reign, that of Louis XIV was gloomy, in art as in politics. The deaths of Charles Le Brun in 1690 and of Pierre Mignard five years later brought the century to its close. What of their legacies? Certainly, each left many students, some greatly talented. Among the boldest of them could be sensed a desire for renewal, an openness to new currents. No longer were their sole points of reference Raphael or Poussin, for now Correggio and Barocci, and of course, Rubens inspired them; no longer was history painting in the grand manner their sole concern, but equally gallant, lighthearted mythologies, genre scenes, and ornamental painting. They preferred everyday life to antiquity, were drawn to a more carefree and, to some degree, more accessible art. At the same time, they felt that painting, at least in France, had reached a dead end, and were unsure how to turn it around. They hoped for a revelation, a revolution, not knowing what form it would take. They awaited the arrival of a savior, which nevertheless came as a surprise to more than one. When the king died in 1715, Watteau was thirty-one. Six years later, he, in turn, left the world."
– from Some Modest Reflections on Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) by Pierre Rosenberg, reprinted in Watteau, Music, and Theater (Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2009)
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| Joseph Vivien Portrait of the sculptor François Girardon 1701 pastel Louvre |
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| Jean-Baptiste Santerre Susanna at her bath 1704 oil on canvas Louvre |
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| Nicolas Vleughels Return of the Prodigal Son 1709 oil on canvas private collection |
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| Jean-Antoine Watteau The Rest ca. 1709 oil on canvas Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid |
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| Jean-Antoine Watteau Pierrot content ca. 1712 oil on canvas Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid |
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| Louis Dorigny Pan and Syrinx early 18th century oil on canvas private collection |
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| Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin Still-life with mortar & pestle ca. 1728-32 oil on canvas Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid |
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| Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin Copper drinking fountain ca. 1734 oil on panel Louvre |
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| Pierre-Antoine Quillard The Four Seasons : Winter ca. 1725-29 oil on canvas Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid |
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| Nicolas Lancret The Four Elements : Earth ca. 1732 oil on canvas Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid |
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| Nicolas Lancret The Swing ca. 1735-40 oil on canvas Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid |
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| Jacques-Charles Oudry Hawk attacking wild duck ca. 1737-47 oil on canvas Wallace Collection, London |
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| François Boucher The afternoon meal 1739 oil on canvas Louvre |