Jean de Jullienne (1686-1766) was one of the leading French amateurs and
collectors of the eighteenth century. He played an important role as
editor and dealer, most famously of Watteau's oeuvre, and held an
influential position in the French art administration of his time, as
director of the Gobelins factory until 1729. Jullienne's collection
epitomizes the most advanced taste of Parisian private collectors of the
period. His strong interest in contemporary French art, Netherlandish
painting, in sketches, pastels and drawings were all typical or even
trendsetting for a new generation of rich Parisian collectors with only
loose ties to the French court. The two sales of his collection were
major events for the European art market. The watercolor views of his
collection in the inventory from 1756, a unique document for the period,
are here published in their entirety for the first time. This exhibition
catalog will present masterworks from Jullienne's collection, including
Rubens, Rembrandt, Watteau, Wouwermans, Netscher, Bourdon, Vanloo,
Greuze and Vernet. These are drawn from the Wallace Collection as well
as museums in London, Edinburgh, Valenciennes, Berlin and from several
important British private collections.