L'Enseigne de Gersaint
L'Enseigne de Gersaint (transl. "The Shop Sign of Gersaint") is an oil on canvas painting in the Charlottenburg Palace in Berlin, by French painter Jean-Antoine Watteau. Completed during 1720–21, it is considered to be the last prominent work of Watteau, who died some time after. It was painted as a shop sign for the marchand-mercier, or art dealer, Edme François Gersaint. According to Daniel Roche the sign functioned more as an advertisement for the artist than the dealer.
| L'Enseigne de Gersaint | |
|---|---|
| Artist | Jean-Antoine Watteau |
| Year | 1720-1721 |
| Catalogue | H 124 (126); G 95; DV 115; R 182; HA 215; EC 212; F A39; RM 248; RT 116 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 163 cm × 308 cm (64 in × 121 in) |
| Location | Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin |
The painting exaggerates the size of Gersaint's cramped boutique, hardly more than a permanent booth with a little backshop, on the medieval Pont Notre-Dame, in the heart of Paris, both creating and following fashion as he purveyed works of art and luxurious trifles to an aristocratic clientele.