The Watteau

Stuff on Avantures: the painting on the front is the same as the last image in his

Nouvelle decouvertes sur la guitarre.

As suggested by the note Wattaux pinx.' on the bottom-left of the first page, the

image there is of La Danse by Jean-Antoine Watteau, painted in the period 1716-1718.

Measuring 97x116 cm, it is now housed in the Staatliche Museen, Berlin. The copper

engraving that appears in Avantures Pastorales was done by Charles-Nicolas Cochin and

bears the following marginal annotation:

Iris cest de bonne heure a voir lair la danse,

Vous exprimez deja les tenders mouvemens.

Qui nous song tous les jours conoitre a la Cadance,

Le goust que votre Sixe a pour les instrumens.

The catalogue of the National Library in Paris lists the date of this engraving

as after 1726, but this is not possible, as Avantures Pastorales was printed in 1719.