Children Playing Musical Instruments
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-381-11
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Jean-Baptiste Pillement's *Children Playing Musical Instruments*1759) captures the playful spirit of 18th-century French Rococo art. As a print from the Smithsonian American Art Museum collection, this work reflects Pillement's versatile career as a painter, engraver, and who traveled across Europe, influencing decorative arts in Poland, Portugal, and England. Rococo, at its height in mid-1700s France, favored lighthearted scenes of leisure, fantasy, and innocence—perfectly embodied here by children immersed in music, evoking joy and domestic harmony. Pillement was renowned for his intricate,...