L'Enseigne de Gersaint, or "The Shop Sign of Gersaint", (1720-21) is a painting by Jean-Antoine Watteau, which is considered to be his last masterpiece. It was painted as a shop sign for the marchand-mercier, or art dealer, Edme François Gersaint.
- Wikipedia : here
In 1985, your correspondent stayed a long while in front of this picture at the Charlottenburg Palace, Berlin.
As the packers box away a sign of the passing régime, a fashionable [ fickle ) young couple enter the Gersaint image store. Madame pauses at the grave but Monsieur stretches out his hand to hurry her to the new, un nu.
Fashionable friends are already there, closely examining une scène de nombreuses nus commended to them by an assistant of Gersaint.
M & Mme Gersaint are themselves showing another couple another well-presented something. Perhaps un intime nu for their private chambers, or a splendid mirror, even.
Outside, as we depart, a street dog bites at a flea.
. . . .
What brought the L'Enseigne de Gersaint to mind again was the recent acquisition, by one of our hot metal setters, of this large abbreviated enamel meta-sign for Signs Of Every Description.
click image to enlarge
detailA Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
someone looks at something ...
LOGOS/HA HA
LOGOS/HA HA