Watteau: Retrospective exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts

Gilles by Jean-Antoine Watteau

Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721)

Watteau's wistful Pierrot stares out as if from a roccoco chocolate box. The worn white silk emphasises the innocence of the lovelorn buffoon.  

But perhaps his pain isn't entirely due to a broken heart. Training in the acrobatics of ballet began early when performers took to the stage as young as the age of four. The Pierrot Gilles may have carried injuries that would cause modern performers and athletes to retire.

Jean-Antoine Watteau was born on 10 October 1684 in Valenciennes. He moved to Paris at the age of eighteen and became assistant to Claude Gillot in 1703. Gillot was known as a theatre designer - both of scenery and costumes - and it may have been in his workshop that Watteau's lifelong attraction to theatrical subjects began.

A tale appears in Concert room and orchestra anecdotes of musicians, ancient and modern by Thomas Busby (1825) and was reprinted in several other publications,

"music Won The Cause.'

Anseaume,a gentleman of very limited income, hired a small house at Bagnolet, and invited his friends once or twice a-week to come and amuse themselves there. On these occasions, each brought some provisions; one wine,another cold meat, another patties, another game. It unluckily happened that Anseaume, as absent in mind as straitened in his finances, had forgotten, for a whole year, to pay his rent. The landlord made a descent upon him precisely on the day that his friends Colle, Panard, Piron, Gillet, the painter Watteau, the musician Degueville, and other epicures, had assembled there. These gentlemen, according to custom, had brought plenty of provender, but no money; and the landlord imperiously demanded his rent of two hundred crowns. What was to be done, in order to assist their friend? They immediatelyset about cooking the meat and poultry; they levied contributions on the fruit and vegetables of the gardens; Watteau drew a beautiful and inviting sign, and Degueville borrowed a violin of the parish beadle; in short, they got up a cabaret and a fete champetre. The appearance of these new cooks, who served their customers in habits of embroidered velvet, with swords by their sides, had a curious effect, and greatly diverted the company, which was so numerous that the receipts amounted to five hundred crowns. Anseaume paid his landlord, and his distress was converted into joy and gladness. But now a question arose, that was discussed with no small earnestness and interest:—To which of his guests Was the host most indebted? Those who played the parts of cooks declared that, without their labours, there would have been nothing for the public to eat; Watteau laid no little stress on the invitation held out by his sign; and Degueville insisted that, without his music, the people's attention would not have been drawn to the sign; and that, even if they had noticed it, and came in, there would have been no mirth and spirit, little eaten, and that little scantily and reluctantly paid for. The dispute began to grow warm, when Degueville seized the violin, played them all into good humour, and was, at length, allowed to be the victor.

It isn't clear which of the Watteaus this refers to, both Jean-Antoine's nephew and great-nephew also became painters. Neither can we be sure which D'Egville played so persuasively.  It may be no more than coincidence that Jean Baptiste Anselme and Françoise Gravillon lived in Valanciennes between 1733 and 1743. Seven of their children where born in the city, including their daughter Sophia who had a formidable career as a dancer and married Peter Hervet D'Egville. If bonds were formed between this generation then the tale probably refers to Louis Joseph Watteau (1731-1798).

The Violinist by Louis Joseph Watteau

Louis Joseph was clearly influenced by the work of his uncle, including his choice of subject matter. The pastoral context of the performance by the itinerant fiddler is equally idealised as that of Jean-Antoine's Gilles. The Elysian parkland far removed from the reality of the Théâtre de la foire. But both artists capture the magic of performance where the audience are acting out their lives and the paintings' eponymous figures are emphasised by their possession by dramatic genius.

As for the tale, it's probably no more than a tale. It has similarities to Aesop's fable of The Wind and the Sun. Importantly, it places a D'Egville among the luminaries of the mid-eighteenth century. It also portrays a man to whom I can relate - music might be his passion but he enjoys a barbecue. It is this kind of detail that I've strived to reveal about our ancestors. The work of the Watteaus helps by providing an insight into the contemporary theatrical world and because they drew on this world for their subjects you might be looking at one of your forebears.

Watteau: The Drawings
11 March—5 June 2011
Adults £10
Concessions: £8 (seniors, disabled, NADFAS, Art Fund)
Disabled carers: free
Corporate Guests: £7
Students (NUS): £7
Children 12-18 years/Income Support/unwaged: £4
Children 8-11 years: £3
Under 7 years: free

Watteau's draughtsmanship should perhaps be viewed as an accompanyment with the exhibition at the Wallace Collection.

Esprit et Vérité: Watteau and His Circle
Saturday 12th March, 2011 - Sunday 5th June, 2011
Price: Admission Free

The story of two violins

The D'Egville (1735) by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù

Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri was born into the Cremona dynasty of luthiers in 1698. His grandfather, Andrea, had been a fellow apprentice of Antonio Stradivari in the workshop of Nicolò Amati. It is estimated that Guarneri produced no more than 250 violins during his lifetime of which some 150 survive today.

He had a relatively short career working on his own account as the earliest violins created solely by Guarneri appear from the late 1720s and he died in 1744. Guarneri became known as del Gesù because the Christian monogram I.H.S was included on his labels from 1731 onwards.

The form of his instruments was based on those created by Stradivari. Some, including Paganini, consider that Guarneri’s violins are superior. While Stradivari maintained a consistent form and quality, Guarneri experimented with f-holes and other design features. The distinctive oil varnish of his instruments varies in colour from pale orange to orange brown, sometimes with a reddish tint.

 In 1735 two violins left Guarneri del Gesù’s workshop and disappeared into historical oblivion. For the next hundred years their whereabouts are unknown but sometime in the middle of the nineteenth century the instruments came into the hands of John Hart.

The firm of John Hart (1805-74) was established in Lower Wardour Street.  He had trained with Samuel Gilkes but made few instruments himself, rather he was renowned for his skill in restoration. Hart was the preeminent authority on the violin in Europe and assembled the finest collection of Italian violins ever known.

In 1855 at least one of the violins was bought from Hart by the amateur violinist Charles Hood Chichele Plowden (1796-1866). At the time of his death Plowden’s collection included a Nicolò Amati , three Antonio Stradivari and no fewer than six Guarneri del Gesù including the sibling 1735 instrument.

The instrument Plowden acquired in 1855 is now known as the ‘Plowden’. On Plowden’s death it returned to the dealer George Hart, son of John, before it was sold to Louis D’Egville in 1867. In the same year Louis appears to have bought the sibling Guarneri del Gesù directly from Plowden’s estate as George Hart isn’t listed in the instrument’s provenance. This violin is today known as the ‘D’Egville’.

Welcome

Welcome to the D'Egville family history research blog. I've been researching my D'Egville ancestors for the past decade. The trail has both challenged and tormented me but it has always been interesting and frequently surprising.

The purpose of this blog is to allow you to share memories, anecdotes, documents, images and perhaps to answer some of your questions. Anybody with a passionate interest in our family history is welcome to become an editor and post for themselves.

My writing style for this project is still evolving. I want my words to be accessible while still retaining the authority of painstaking research. The blog isn't an academic publication so the material won't be presented as if it were being peer reviewed by historians. Sometimes I will probably post articles that are 'in progress' just to see what they look like and if anyone reads and comments on them then they will be contributing to their development.

A lot of people who are interested in genealogy obviously devote much of the efforts to their family trees. For me, genealogy is only a part of family history. My approach is to invite my ancestors to their places around my dining table - metaphorically. I want to listen to their stories and pass them on.

What we read about our ancestors is only one perspective and may be some distance from the truth. I treat these accounts like memories that are going through a continual process of modification. Afterall, what I remember of the events of last week is already removed from their reality; if I've devoted any thought to them at all they will have been sifted through the riddle of subjectivity and reordered so that they fit into my agenda. Despite the 'spin' of people who are concerned with their celebrity I've found some individuals to be entertaining guests whom I continue to welcome.

The D'Egvilles have made a significant contribution to the arts during the past three centuries and sometimes my postings may appear to have more to do with dance history than with people who - although they have vanished - are our family. I hope that I can balance this by revealing something of their personalities and both the trials and pleasures of their everyday lives.