Artwork
La Fantastique quadrille
La Fantastique quadrille is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Célestin Nanteuil. It dates from 1838 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
La Fantastique quadrille is a lithograph on wove paper, created by French artist Célestin Nanteuil around 1838. The work is characterized by a densely populated scene with multiple elements and activities.
Subject & Meaning
A prominent archway frames a distant crowd, while decorative elements like flowers, vases, a clock tower, and musicians enrich the edges.
The print depicts a lively, crowded setting centered on a woman reading a book, surrounded by children playing, adults conversing, and various peripheral activities. A prominent archway frames a distant crowd, while decorative elements like flowers, vases, a clock tower, and musicians enrich the edges. The title suggests a connection to a lively dance, though the woman's contemplative pose introduces a note of contrast.
Technique & Style
Executed in lithography, the medium allowed for the intricate, detailed rendering of the scene, reflecting Nanteuil's training at the École des Beaux-Arts and his association with the Romantic movement. The style blends vibrancy with meticulous composition, typical of early 19th-century Romantic printmaking.
History & Provenance
Created during Nanteuil's early career, La Fantastique quadrille demonstrates his engagement with Romanticism. Nanteuil's background, including study under Eustache-Hyacinthe Langlois and in Dominique Ingres’s studio, influenced his artistic approach. The work is signed 'C. Nanteuil'.
Context
Born in Rome to parents linked to Joseph Bonaparte, Nanteuil's work reflects both his French artistic education and the broader European Romantic movement of the time, emphasizing emotion, detail, and everyday life.
Legacy
While specific legacy details of La Fantastique quadrille are not provided, as a work of the Romantic movement, it contributes to the historical record of 19th-century French printmaking and the evolution of lithography as an artistic medium.
Artist & collection
Artist
Célestin-François Nanteuil-Lebœuf, known as Célestin Nanteuil (French pronunciation: ; 11 July 1813 – 6 September 1873), was a French painter, engraver and illustrator closely tied to the Romantic movement in France.
Frontispiece: The Waifs (Les Epaves)
La Diligence de Beaucaire
Heute Roth, Morgen Tod (Today Red, Tomorrow Dead)
Le Sommeil d'Endymion-Berryer
Seated Woman Embroidering
Des Pfarrers Tochter von Taubenhein (The Parson's Daughter from Taubenhain)
The Satyr's Family (La famille du satyre)
Book of Fountains: No. 4
Bacchanales: The Satyr's Family
La Dernière Maja
Print showing Nell Gwyn and her sons
Sheet of Sketches