Fête champêtre


A fête champêtre was a popular form of entertainment in the 18th century, taking the form of a garden party. This form of entertainment was particularly popular at the French court, where at Versailles areas of the park were landscaped with follies, pavilions and temples to accommodate such festivities.
The term is derived from the French expression for a "pastoral festival" or "country feast" and in theory was a simple form of entertainment. In practice, especially in the 18th century, the simplicity of the event was often contrived. A fête champêtre was often a very elegant form of entertainment involving on occasions whole orchestras hidden in trees, with guests sometimes in fancy dress.
A fête champêtre is very similar to a fête galante, although this term is generally more confined to the idealistic fête champêtre as depicted in art.
A painting dated to ca. 1509 currently called Le Concert champêtre or the Pastoral Concert was named Fête champêtre when it first became part of the Louvre collection. It has been variously attributed to Giorgione, Titian, and Sebastiano del Piombo. The painting most likely represents some mythological subject, whose precise identification has posed difficulties for art historians.