Claude Gillot: Satire in the Age of Reason

This book explores the artistic career of Claude Gillot (1673–1722), a French designer, painter, and illustrator who worked in Paris during the 18th century. It highlights his innovative draftsmanship and his contributions to developing rococo subjects. Gillot's work was influenced by his involvement with writers, playwrights, and printmakers, and he built his career working in the theater and as a painter and designer before seeking official academic status. He gained critical attention for his theatrical subjects and later worked as a printmaker and illustrator of books. His estate sale provided material for printmakers and publishers, ensuring his lasting fame among print connoisseurs.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 01 February 2023
Publisher: Paul Holberton Publishing Ltd

This scholarly publication presents the remarkable work of the multifaceted artist Claude Gillot (1673–1722). As the inaugural volume in English dedicated to the artist, it accompanies a major exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum, delving into Gillot's inventive and highly original draftsmanship and placing his work within the vibrant artistic and intellectual milieu of Paris circa 1700.

In the annals of eighteenth-century French art under the ancien régime, a host of great names loom large. However, the artistic landscape in Paris at the dawn of the century was far more diverse, encompassing artists who carved their paths largely outside the confines of the Royal Academy. Among them was Claude Gillot. Primarily recognized as a draftsman, Gillot specialized in capturing witty scenes derived from the Italian commedia dell'arte plays performed at fairground theaters, as well as vignettes depicting satyrs engaged in rituals that expose human foolishness.

This book aims to explore Gillot's multifaceted career as a designer, painter, and book illustrator, while also advancing a comprehensive chronology of his life and work. By crafting a timeline for Gillot's life and artistic journey, we aim to clarify his relationship with his younger collaborators, Antoine Watteau and Nicolas Lancret.

Through an artistic biography and six chapters, each dedicated to a specific aspect of his oeuvre, Gillot's pivotal role in developing quintessential rococo subjects is established. We trace Gillot's journey from his humble beginnings as the son of a decorative painter in the bishopric of Langres to his arrival in Paris in the 1690s, a time when the city and its secular entertainments thrived in contrast to the royal court at Versailles. The opportunities for artists outside official channels were abundant, and Gillot built his career working in the theater, as a painter, and designer long before seeking official academic recognition. His interactions with writers, playwrights.

Weight: 1330g
Dimension: 248 x 287 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781913645373