ticketsMember | Make a donation

The Meeting

1746
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 630
Longhi made his career with small-scale scenes of contemporary Venetian life, often focused on erotic anecdotes and not necessarily with clear narrative sequences. Like those of his English contemporary Hogarth, many of these compositions were engraved and circulated as prints throughout Europe. Here, amid the games of disguise that fueled flirtations during Carnival, a man in blue invites a woman for a tryst. The man in the red cloak holds keys to a private theater box that he is willing to rent to the couple for a private meeting. In the mirror overhead, the reflection of a canopied bed and a painting of the Holy Family offers ironic commentary on the scene.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Meeting
  • Artist: Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca) (Italian, Venice 1701–1785 Venice)
  • Date: 1746
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 24 x 19 1/2 in. (61 x 49.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Samuel H. Kress, 1936
  • Object Number: 36.16
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Study of a Seated Woman, Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca) Italian, Black chalk stumped, highlighted with white chalk, on light brown paper
Study of a Seated Woman
Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca)
1702–85
A Dignitary Holding a Document, Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca) Italian, Red chalk
A Dignitary Holding a Document
Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca)
Luca Carlevaris
ca. 1722–42
The Visit, Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca) Italian, Oil on canvas
The Visit
Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca)
1746
The Temptation, Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca) Italian, Oil on canvas
The Temptation
Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca)
1746
The Letter, Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca) Italian, Oil on canvas
The Letter
Pietro Longhi (Pietro Falca)
1746

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.