Lady on a Swing – Gallant Scene in the Park I

A Lady on a Swing, along with its pendant entitled A Minuet Dancer (inv. no. O 349, exhibited in the same room) ranks among the best examples of the echoes of the French gallant genre in Grund’s oeuvre. The painter depicted here a popular theme of swing – a lady dressed in red is being rocked by her companion, whereas the gentleman is holding the shoe that had slipped off the lady’s foot. The usual erotic hidden meaning is subdued, though, the staffage retains a character of a humorous story – when the entertainment is at an end, the company will go in for the prepared refreshments – similar to the putto on a high socle at the entrance to the park. The slight haze and colder tones, with only some coloristic accents already suggest the gradual penetration of Classicism into the charming atmosphere of the Rococo, shown in the coquettish grace of the poses of the slim figures, whose integration into the space and links to the vegetation and terrain are not quite assured, though.