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Jean-Baptiste Pater , French, 1695-1736

Title

Figures Resting in a Military Encampment

Datec.1725-1730

MediumOil on panel

Dimensions

25 x 34 cm

Credit LineMilltown Gift, 1902

Object numberNGI.731

Exhibition HistoryCentenary Exhibition, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, October - December 1964

Von Poussin bis Monet. Die Farben Frankreichs, Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg, 10 October 2015 - 17 January 2016

Label TextPater, an artist from northern France, painted numerous scenes of soldiers at rest in military encampments. In this version, the soldiers are shown relaxing and smoking near a make-shift canopy, accompanied by women and children. These women, often the wives of the soldiers, were known as vivandières. As soldiers were provided with very basic rations, these women followed the army, selling provisions and carrying out domestic duties. At first glance, it appears that Pater painted a rosy scene of people at ease and dancing. However, the body language of the two women at the centre suggests that some soldiers expected more from the vivandières.