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François Boucher Decorative Art

French, 1703-1770
The extraordinary career of Francois Boucher was unmatched by his contemporaries in versatility, consistency and output. For many, particularly the writers and collectors who led the revival of interest in the French rococo during the last century, his sensuous beauties and plump cupids represent the French eighteenth century at its most typical. His facility with the brush, even when betraying the occasional superficiality of his art, enabled him to master every aspect of painting – history and mythology, portraiture, landscape, ordinary life and, as part of larger compositions, even still life. He had been trained as an engraver, and the skills of a draftsman, which he imbued in the studio of Jean-Francois Cars (1661 – 1738), stood him in good stead throughout his career; his delightful drawings are one of the most sought-after aspects of his oeuvre. As a student of Francois Lemoyne (1688 - 1737), he mastered the art of composition. The four years he spent in Italy, from 1727-1731, educated him in the works of the masters, classics and history, that his modest upbringing had denied him. On his return to Paris in 1734, he gained full membership of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture with his splendid Rinaldo and Armida (Paris, Musée du Louvre). Although, throughout his career, he occasionally painted subjects taken from the Bible, and would always have considered himself first as a history painter, his own repertoire of heroines, seductresses, flirtatious peasant girls and erotic beauties was better suited to a lighter, more decorative subject matter. His mastery of technique and composition enabled him to move from large scale tapestry cartoons (he worked throughout his career for both the Beauvais and Gobelins tapestry factories, becoming director of the latter in 1755), to intimate masterpieces such as Diana Resting (Paris, Louvre) or Leda and the Swan and the occasional scene from everyday life such as The Luncheon (Paris, Louvre), with its elegantly dressed figures grouped around a well-laid table. Enormously successful and widely bought, Boucher’s output was prodigious. First patronized by the Crown in the 1730s, and appointed Premier Peintre du Roi in 1765, he executed numerous royal and princely commissions until his death in 1770, working particularly for Louis XV’s mistress, the Marquise de Pompadour in each of her several palaces. Always ready to utilize his talents in other fields, he designed stage sets for theatre and opera and supplied drawings to be used as designs for figures at the Vincennes (later Sèvres) porcelain factory. As a teacher, he was much loved by his many students, who included Fragonard, Le Prince, Deshays, Brenet, Baudouin, Lagrenee, and Madame de Pompadour herself. In his earliest surviving works with their colourful rococo palette, even David, a distant cousin, was clearly influenced by Boucher. Not since Le Brun had a single French artist held such a monopoly on the imagery of a particular society or left such a mark on the art of his time.
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Creator: François Boucher
Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher
Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher

Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher

$700

Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher

By François Boucher

Located in Miami, FL

Antique engraving prints, make a great gift! Fine crisp impression of great rarity; it is particularly unusual to find a 18th century color engraving print of this quality and condi...

Category

Late 18th Century French Neoclassical Antique François Boucher Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher
Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher

Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher

$700

Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher

By François Boucher

Located in Miami, FL

Antique engraving prints - make a great gift! Fine crisp impression of great rarity; it is particularly unusual to find a 18th century color engraving print of this quality and cond...

Category

Late 18th Century French Neoclassical Antique François Boucher Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

French 18th Century Neoclassical Engraving Print by François Boucher
French 18th Century Neoclassical Engraving Print by François Boucher

French 18th Century Neoclassical Engraving Print by François Boucher

$700

French 18th Century Neoclassical Engraving Print by François Boucher

By François Boucher

Located in Miami, FL

Antique engraving prints - make a great gift! Fine crisp impression of great rarity; it is particularly unusual to find a 18th century color engraving print of this quality and cond...

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Mid-18th Century French Neoclassical Antique François Boucher Decorative Art

Materials

Paper

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Antique engraving prints - make a great gift! Fine crisp impression of great rarity; it is particularly unusual to find a 18th century color engraving print of this quality and cond...

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Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher
Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher

Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher

Sold

H 19 in W 13.88 in D 0.07 in

Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher

By François Boucher

Located in Miami, FL

A fine crisp impression of great rarity; it is particularly unusual to find a 18th century color engraving print of this quality and condition in today’s print market. Rare engravin...

Category

Late 18th Century French Neoclassical Antique François Boucher Decorative Art

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Paper

Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher
Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher

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Sold

H 19 in W 13.88 in D 0.07 in

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François Boucher decorative art for sale on 1stDibs.

François Boucher decorative art are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of paper and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of François Boucher decorative art, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original decorative art by François Boucher were created in the neoclassical style in france during the 18th century and earlier. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider decorative art by Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, and Hermès. Prices for François Boucher decorative art can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $395 and can go as high as $395, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $395.

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