Mentioned in the catalogue of the Lalive de Jully Collection in 1764 as 'un artiste que annonçait beaucoup de talent', Bénard had an ecclectic style influenced by the fêtes galantes of Watteau, the genre scenes of Chardin, and the pastoral landscapes popularized by Boucher. The few signed works by him are dated between 1745 and 1756 (see C.G. Marcus, Un petit Maître mal connu, Jean-Baptiste Bénard, Art et Curiosité, Mai-June 1965, pp. 4-8).

The present work can be compared to two pairs of paintings, the first sold at Christie's, Monaco, June 20, 1992, lot 76; the second sold at Christie's, Monaco, Dec. 4, 1993, lot 27.