Nicolas Lancret
French, 1690–1743
Two Friends
1738
This idyllic scene, set in a grove and peopled by elegantly dressed figures, contains a revealing commentary about morality. The story comes from a fable by Jean de La Fontaine about two men who both initially claimed to be the father of a girl, but later denied their claims when she grew into a beautiful young woman they wished to court. Lancret achieved a delicate, detailed finish by painting on copper.
Medium | Oil on copper |
Dimensions | 11 5/16 x 14 3/8 in. (28.7 x 36.5 cm) |
Object Number | 1955.956 |
Acquisition | Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955 |
Status | Off View |
Image Caption
Nicolas Lancret, Two Friends, 1738, Oil on copper. Clark Art Institute, 1955.956
Select Bibliography
Paris: The Salon.. . 1739..
London: Guildhall.. Loan Collection of Pictures of the French School.. 1898..
New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.. French Painting and Sculpture of the XVIII Century.. Nov. 6, 1935-Jan. 5, 1936..
J. P. Morgan. Exhibition of Paintings, Collection of J. P. Morgan, for the Benefit of the Citizens Committee for the Army and Navy, Inc, November 23-December 11, 1943. New York: The William Bradford Press, 1943.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Exhibit Seven: The Regency and Louis XVI Rooms. Exhibition catalogue. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1957.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Exhibit Four & Exhibit Seven. Exhibition catalogue. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1958.
Lovett, Jennifer Gordon. A Glimpse of Rococo France: The Amorous Proposal by François Le Moyne. Exhibition brochure. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1987.
Ballot de Sovot.. Eloge de Lancret Peinture de Roi.. Paris: J. J. Guiffrey.. [1874?]..
Emilia F. S. Dilke.. "L'Art Français du Guildhall de Londres.". Gazette des Beaux Arts SS.. 1898..
Emilia F. S. Dilke.. French Painters of the XVIII Century.. London: George Bell and Sons.. 1899..
J. J. Foster.. French Art from Watteau to Prud-hon. Ed. Royale. 3 vol.. London: Dickenson.. 1907..
T. Ward and W. Roberts.. Pictures in the Collection of J. Pierpont Morgan Princes Gate and Dover House.. London: privately printed.. 1907..
Georges Wildenstein.. Lancret.. Paris: George Savant.. 1924..
Siple, Ella S. "Art in America: Autumn Exhibitions in Boston and New York." The Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 67, no. 392 (November 1935): 23031
. "To Whom the J. P. Morgan Pictures Went.". 43.. Art News.. March 1-14, 1944..
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1970.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling & Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1972.
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1984.
Kern, Steven, ed. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1992.
Held, Julius S. "Old Masters in the Clark Collection, Part I: Paintings." The Magazine Antiques 62, no. 4 (October 1997): 504–9.