An Embarrasing Proposal
Jean-Antoine Watteau · 1715
Why it's great
A man in a velvet coat leans in to talk to a woman who looks embarrassed, as other couples stand nearby. Jean-Antoine Watteau painted it in about 1715, and it is a funny little drama.
Where to see it
📍 Hermitage MuseumSaint Petersburg, Russia
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Three places to look for a print of this painting, from budget to museum-grade:
These links open search results on each shop's own website; we don't sell anything or earn a commission, and print quality varies by seller. Ask a grown-up before you buy anything.
Jean-Antoine Watteau was a French painter born in Valenciennes in 1684. He invented the fête galante, a dreamy picture of elegant people in silk costumes having a party or flirting in a park, and he also loved painting actors and clowns from the theater. He died young, at 36, in 1721.
