ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the way that musical images in the paintings of Antoine Watteau echo the evolving nature of emotional expression in late seventeenth and early eighteenth-century France as it fell under the cultural influence of the neighbouring Italians. The history of music's power over the emotions originates with ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato who equated music with the very essence of being. Politesse, grace and courtly restraint formed the essence of French musical styles. The complex ornamentation and virtuoso performances of Italian singers and musicians were inflammatory and excessive; they appeared to flaunt their technical training and impressive abilities thereby contradicting the aims of courtly, restrained French politesse. The ways in which varying emotions received resonance in musical expression are vital to our understanding of the art of Antoine Watteau and the nuanced evolution of the changing cultures of French entertainment and leisure.
