Nicolas Lancret

Nicolas Lancret (1690–1743) was a French painter celebrated for his lively, graceful depictions of contemporary social life, bridging the stylistic worlds of Rococo elegance and theatrical narrative. Born in Paris, he trained under Pierre d’Ulin and later in the studio of Claude Gillot, where he absorbed a flair for theatricality and anecdotal charm that would define his work. Lancret’s paintings often capture aristocratic fêtes, dance scenes and garden gatherings, rendered with a fluid, light palette and a subtle, naturalistic approach to gesture and expression.

He became a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in 1717, gaining early recognition for his ability to blend playful storytelling with a refined, painterly technique. Lancret’s compositions are noted for their elegant arrangements of figures and their attentive depiction of contemporary fashions, architecture and social customs, offering both aesthetic pleasure and a window into early 18th-century Parisian life. His work was often compared to that of Antoine Watteau, and indeed he shared Watteau’s interest in fête galante, though Lancret’s style was considered somewhat lighter, more delicate, and imbued with a cheerful intimacy.

Throughout his career, Lancret exhibited regularly at the Paris salons, contributing to the Rococo movement’s visual vocabulary of charm, wit, and social observation. Today, his paintings are held in major European collections, valued for their spirited representation of leisure, refinement and the subtle theatricality that defines the era.

Nicolas Lancret (Paris 1690-1743)

Autumn

Nicolas Lancret (Paris 1690-1743)

'Que le coeur d'un amant est sujet à changer' ('That the Heart of a Lover is Subject to Change')

NICOLAS LANCRET (PARIS 1690-1743)

Fête champêtre with a dancing couple

Nicolas Lancret (Paris 1690-1743)

Two elegant couples in conversation

Nicolas Lancret Paris 1690-1743

Le Berger Indécis

Nicolas Lancret (Paris 1690-1743)

Elegant figures dancing in a wooded landscape

NICOLAS LANCRET (PARIS 1690-1743)

A young couple courting over a bird's nest (' Le Nid d'Oiseaux ')

Circle of Philip Mercier (Berlin 1689/91-1760 London)

Elegant figures resting in a park landscape

Jean-Jacques Lagrenée II (Paris 1739-1821)

The Abduction of Oreithya by Boreas

Circle of Nicolas Lancret (Paris 1690-1743)

Portrait of a lady and gentleman, as Venus and Adonis, in a wooded landscape

Circle of Nicolas Lancret (Paris 1690-1743)

Le Feu

DANS LE GOÛT DE NICOLAS LANCRET

L'Automne ; L'Hiver

NICOLAS LANCRET (PARIS 1690-1743)

Le Nid d'Oiseaux

Nicolas Lancret (Paris 1690-1743)

A lady with her page

NICOLAS LANCRET (PARIS 1690-1743)

Femme à sa toilette

Follower of Nicolas Lancret

Le concert interrompu

Follower of Nicolas Lancret

A fête champétre

After Nicolas Lancret

A group of six canvases with scenes from everyday life

NICOLAS LANCRET (PARIS 1690-1743)

Homme debout tenant une lettre (l'acteur Grandval)

NICOLAS LANCRET (PARIS 1690-1745)

Two seated women reading music

Circle of Nicolas Lancret (Paris 1690-1743)

A lady cleaning a copper pot in an interior, a dog at her feet

Follower of Nicolas Lancret

A lady and a gentleman dancing, surrounded by other women, in a wooded park landscape

Circle of Nicolas Lancret (Paris 1690-1743)

A fête champetre

AFTER NICOLAS LANCRET

Le Bal

Nicolas Lancret (Paris 1690-1745)

A young man, bust-length, looking to the right

ENTOURAGE DE NICOLAS LANCRET (PARIS 1690-1743)

Femme assise

D'APRÈS NICOLAS LANCRET

Étude d'un couple amoureux pour La Déclaration d'amour

Manner of Nicolas Lancret

Elegant figures making music in a landscape

Follower of Nicholas Lancret

Elegant skaters on a frozen pond

AFTER NICOLAS LANCRET

Le Bal

ATTRIBUTED TO NICOLAS LANCRET (PARIS 1690-1743)

The Caged Bird

Follower of Nicolas Lancret

An amorous couple in a classical garden

After Nicolas Lancret

Winter: Skaters in a winter landscape

NICOLAS LANCRET (PARIS 1690-1745)

Êtude de deux têtes de femmes