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How did the Luxembourg Gardens influence Antoine Watteau’s art?

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Watteau, Antoine: Mezzetin — Antoine Watteau *Mezzetin*, oil on canvas by Antoine Watteau, 1718–20; in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. 55.2 × 43.2 cm.

The Luxembourg Gardens served as a significant environment for Antoine Watteau during his time working under Claude Audran III, who was the curator of the Medici Gallery located within the Palais du Luxembourg.1

The gardens influenced Watteau by immersing him in a setting that epitomized the "miracle of civilization," characterized by its elegant avenues and fountains with their interplay of water. Furthermore, his access to the palace allowed him to study the cycle of paintings by Peter Paul Rubens dedicated to Marie de Médicis. These vibrant, large-scale works exerted a profound influence on his artistic development. Together with his experiences in the world of theater and his study of art collections, the Luxembourg Gardens helped complete his vision of Paris as a place of ceremonies and illusions, which became a central theme in his work.1