The Singing Party
Philippe Mercier·c. 1732/1760
Historical Context
The Singing Party, attributed to Philip Mercier and dating to around 1732-1760, depicts an elegant group making music together — a popular subject in eighteenth-century painting. Mercier, born in Berlin to a Huguenot family, was trained in the French Rococo tradition and became one of the first painters to introduce the fête galante style to England. He served briefly as principal painter to Frederick, Prince of Wales.
Technical Analysis
The oil on canvas shows Mercier's characteristic blend of French Rococo elegance with English informality. The soft, silvery palette and graceful figural grouping reflect the influence of Watteau, whose work Mercier studied and helped popularize in Britain.
Provenance
Painted for George, 1st Baron Vernon [1709/1710-1780], Sudbury Hall, Derbyshire; by descent to Francis, 9th Baron Vernon [1889-1963]. (Arnold Seligmann, Rey & Co., Inc., New York); purchased 1940 by Duncan Phillips, Washington, D.C.; gift 1952 to NGA.[1] [1] The gift by Duncan Phillips was made "on behalf of the Phillips Gallery" (now The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.).
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