Another Chinese Musician
Original title: Another Chinese Musician
kurzbeschreibung
Created between 1738 and 1745, François Boucher's etching "Ein weiterer chinesischer Musiker" (original title: "Autre Musicien Chinois") belongs to a series of chinoiseries that Boucher produced in the mid-eighteenth century. It depicts a Chinese musician with a stringed instrument, dressed in traditional robes and holding a large parasol.
Description
A standing Chinese musician, plucking a stringed instrument, dominates the foreground. He wears a long, flowing coat and a headpiece; a large traditional parasol is connected to it. To the side, a smaller figure in similar attire kneels, holding a musical instrument. Plants and a suggested house fill the background. The drawing is executed in fine, detailed black and white.
Context
This etching was made between 1738 and 1745, during a period when François Boucher had come to prominence with decorative paintings and prints that often took up exotic subjects. Chinoiserie enjoyed great popularity in eighteenth-century French art, encouraged by East Asian trade and travel accounts. Boucher knew Chinese art not from direct observation; he used imported porcelain, lacquerwork, and textiles as models. Gabriel Huquier, a renowned Parisian print dealer and publisher, issued the sheet.
Impact
The print conveys an elegant yet idealized image of China, characteristic of chinoiserie. Calm arrangement and precise lines produce a harmonious, almost idyllic mood. Through the exact execution and exotic props such as the parasol, the motif appears both foreign and familiar—a mirror of the period's taste for the exotic.
Technique
The work is executed as an etching, an intaglio process in which the drawing is scratched into a wax layer on a metal plate and then etched. Boucher signed the sheet with "F. Boucher del. et Sculp.", documenting his dual role as designer and etcher. The plate was published by Huquier, who was responsible for reproduction and distribution of the prints.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)