Louis Joseph Watteau

Louis Joseph Watteau (10 April 1731 - 17 August 1798), known as the Watteau of Lille (a title also given to his son) was a French painter active in Lille.

Watteau was born in Valenciennes. His father Noël Joseph Watteau (1689-1756) was brother to Jean-Antoine Watteau, a painter of fêtes galantes, and he was himself father to the painter François Watteau.

He played a decisive role in the foundation of what would become the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lille, opened in 1803, by producing the first ever inventory of paintings confiscated by the state during the French Revolution.

He died in Lille, aged 67.

Works

 * La Jolie colombe, oil on wood, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Valenciennes
 * La 14ème expérience aérostatique de M. Blanchard, oil on canvas, Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse, Lille
 * Le Bombardement de Lille, oil on canvas, Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse, Lille
 * Le retour des Aéronautes Blanchard et Lépinard, oil on canvas, Musée de l'Hospice Comtesse, Lille