Hercules and Omphale with Cupids (recto); Designs for a Ceiling Decoration (verso)
Artistattributed to
François Boucher
(French, 1703 - 1770)
Date18th Century
MediumRecto: Red chalk/Verso: Red chalk and graphite
DimensionsFramed: 22 5/8 x 26 3/4 in. (57.5 x 67.9 cm)
Image: 12 5/8 x 10 1/4 in. (32.1 x 26 cm)
Image: 12 5/8 x 10 1/4 in. (32.1 x 26 cm)
ClassificationsDrawings
Credit LineMuseum purchase, 1977
Object numberSN961
The distinguished late-nineteenth century scholars Edmond and Jules de Goncourt said of Boucher that he was "one of those men who indicate the taste of a century, express, personify, embody it… [He] was not only its painter but its chief witness, its chief representative, its very type."
In its brusqueness, type, and proportions the Ringling sheet is typical of Boucher's work from late 1740s and early 1750s. The fluidity with which he applies the chalk around the figures contrasts with the vigorous strokes in the background and periphery to create an energetic and lively composition.
The verso, is by a much subtler, more controlled hand. This has led some scholars to question its attribution to Boucher and to suggest that it instead may be the work of one of Boucher's studio assistants, perhaps even his most famous pupil, Jean-Honoré Fragonard. It was not uncommon for an artist to utilize both sides of a piece of paper, particularly if the sheet was bound in a sketchbook. For this reason, it is also not uncommon that the recto and verso of a sheet be oriented differently, as you see here.
On View
Not on view
Joachim Antonisz Wtewael
16th Century
Ludovico Mazzolino
circa 1524
