Portrait of Antoine Watteau

This 1721 pastel portrait of Antoine Watteau in the Luigi Bailo Museum in Treviso is a variant of or companion to the 1720 Carriera Watteau portrait, made the year of his death. The slight chronological difference between the two versions raises questions about which was made first — whether the 1720 version was the sitting and the 1721 a version made after his death, or whether both record encounters. Watteau died in July 1721 at Nogent-sur-Marne, and a portrait dated 1721 could have been made in his final months or posthumously from the earlier sitting. The Treviso provenance places this work in a modest Italian civic collection, suggesting it may have passed through private Italian hands before reaching the museum. The existence of two Carriera Watteau portraits speaks to the significance of their encounter and the desire to preserve his image.

Comparison between the two Carriera Watteau portraits would reveal whether they share the same compositional approach or represent different sittings. The 1721 version at Treviso may show subtle differences in the characterisation — potentially reflecting Watteau's further physical decline — or it may be a closely related variant made to satisfy collector demand for a second version.