Philippe Mercier, 1689 or 1691–1760, Franco-German, active in Britain (from 1716)
Title:
The Sense of Hearing
Date:
1744 to 1747
Materials & Techniques:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
52 x 60 1/2 inches (132.1 x 153.7 cm)
Credit Line:
Yale Center for British Art, Paul Mellon Collection
Copyright Status:
Public Domain
Accession Number:
B1974.3.19
Gallery Label:
Philippe Mercier was born in Prussia to French parents and trained as a painter in Berlin under the French artist Antoine Pesne. In 1716 he moved to London and quickly established himself as favorite among the German émigrés who had followed the Elector of Hanover to Britain when he was crowned George I in 1714. Mercier was among the first in Britain to popularize the latest French rococo style, then called simply the “modern” style. The Sense of Hearing belongs to a set of paintings representing all five senses, and Mercier made his living from selling reproductive prints after popular paintings such as these. In this scene, a group of amateur musicians play the latest music of George Frideric Handel and Francesco Geminiani, both Continental composers who made their careers in London. Gallery label for installation of YCBA collection, 2016
