Seated Young Peasant Woman Holding a Jug, from Nouveau Livre de diverse Figures (New Book of Various Figures)
Original title: Seated Young Peasant Woman Holding a Jug, from Nouveau Livre de diverse Figures (New Book of Various Figures)
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many figure prints of its time, this etching by François Boucher gives a young peasant woman center stage rather than treating her as a staffage figure: she sits with a jug in her hand. Made in 1751, the sheet is the second of two states and belongs to a series of figure studies.
Description
A young woman in simple rural dress sits holding a jug. A headscarf and long skirt define her appearance; her gaze turns slightly aside, and her expression seems thoughtful. Trees and shrubs suggest a rural setting but stay sparse. The arrangement directs attention entirely to the figure, rendered in monochrome with delicate strokes and hatching.
Context
The etching was made in 1751 as part of the series 'Nouveau Livre de diverse Figures'. Baudicour records the sheet as the second of two states. Boucher was among the leading artists of the Rococo and left an extensive graphic oeuvre in which rural and pastoral subjects recur often.
Impact
The sitter's calm and pensiveness give the print an idyllic yet inward-looking character. The tender, almost sketch-like linework lends it a lightness characteristic of Boucher's graphic work.
Technique
For this etching, the drawing was transferred to an etched plate. Strokes and hatching build up forms and textures; the monochrome approach brings the graphic quality of the sheet to the fore.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)