Jean De Julienne: Collector and Connoisseur

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.