WATTEAU'S SOLDIERS

Antoine Watteau (16841721) also produced a number of captivating works with military subjectspaintings and drawingsearly in his career. They were executed when France was engaged in the costly and ultimately disastrous War of the Spanish Succession (17011714) , but they look past the turbulence of battle and the heroic deeds of generals and kings to depict the more prosaic aspects of war marches, halts, encampments, and bivouacs.