Provides an analysis and interpretation of selected works by one of the most important eighteenth-century French artists. Examining four sets of pictures that involve multiple canvasses, Paula Rea Radisich discusses these works in the light of the architectural setting for which they were designed and the demands imposed by the patrons who commissioned them. Through this line of inquiry, she establishes the broader function and significance of art in pre-Revolutionary France, moving from the creation of the work of art to questions about its architectural and cultural setting. Considering issues of production and reception of artworks, this study also examines how the Revolution affected the iconography of Robert's late paintings.