L'Accord parfait

Watteau's L'Accord parfait of around 1719 depicts a musical couple — a guitarist and a singer — in perfect artistic and perhaps emotional harmony, a subject that combines Watteau's twin preoccupations with music and love. The title's irony — 'perfect accord' — may apply to musical technique, emotional union, or both simultaneously, and the painting's ambiguity between literal and metaphorical meaning is characteristic of Watteau's mature approach. The painting was among his last major works, created in the year before his death.

Watteau renders the musicians and the garden setting with the extraordinary refinement of his final period. The shimmering palette and the subtle interplay of figures create a composition of perfect visual harmony that mirrors the musical subject.