c. 1794-1795

The Brawl

French, 1753-1820

Charles-Melchior Descourtis's masterful color print reproduces one of four paintings, now lost, by Nicolas-Antoine Taunay. The harmonious coloring and lyrical mood of three of the four prints evoke Jean-Antoine Watteau's fêtes galantes and the carefree spirit of pre-Revolutionary France--but the violent subject matter of the final print in the series, The Brawl, sets it apart from the others. Taunay had finished his paintings of The Village Wedding, The Village Fair, and The Drummer before leaving on a three-year visit to Italy in 1784. The Brawl, painted after his return to Paris in 1787, reflects the recent trend for French artists to tackle more serious themes.