The Old Savoyard

The Old Savoyard by Jean Antoine Watteau French, 1684-1721, is an exquisite example of the artist’s mastery of draftsmanship. Executed between 1710 and 1720, this drawing utilizes red and black chalk on cream laid paper. While Watteau was famed for the combined use of aux trois crayons (three chalks), this piece effectively uses just two colors, allowing the artist to define form and volume through sensitive shading, texture, and precise line work characteristic of the early Rococo era.

The subject, an elderly man identified as a Savoyard, belongs to a typology frequently explored by Watteau (1684-1721). These individuals, often itinerant laborers, porters, or street entertainers from the region of Savoy, served as poignant reminders of the social periphery in burgeoning 18th-century France. The sketch concentrates on the figure’s worn dignity and expressive character, reflecting the artist’s interest in the everyday figures that contrasted with the aristocratic fêtes galantes for which he is most known.

As a preliminary study or a finished piece, this drawing showcases Watteau’s rapid, expressive hand, capturing the psychological depth essential to his development of character types. It is a foundational work for understanding the visual lexicon of the period. This important drawing is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, offering scholars and the public direct access to his artistic process. Due to its age, the work is now widely considered to be in the public domain, allowing high-quality prints and reproductions to circulate globally for further appreciation and study.