Sheet of Sketches, from "Livre d’étude d’après les desseins originaux de Blomart" (1735, Met-Objekt 6473)
Original title: Sheet of Sketches, from "Livre d’étude d’après les desseins originaux de Blomart"
kurzbeschreibung
This etching by François Boucher, made in 1735, belongs to the 'Livre d’étude d’après les desseins originaux de Blomart'. It presents a garden scene with two figures: a woman in a long robe sits reading or writing in a book, while a man with a basket bends low over the ground.
Description
A seated woman in flowing garments pores over a book, her posture thoughtful as she reads or writes. Beside her stands a man in simple rural dress; he carries a basket and leans downward as if searching for something on the ground. Plants and shrubs behind them suggest an idyllic natural setting. Fine lines and strokes build the shading, bringing out textures and the forms of both figures and surroundings. At the lower right appears the signature 'Boucher Sculp.'
Context
The sheet comes from the study book 'Livre d’étude d’après les desseins originaux de Blomart', assembled after drawings by Blomart. François Boucher, a leading French Rococo painter, produced the etching in 1735. Prints of this kind served artists and amateurs as models and helped spread Boucher's style. The signature 'Boucher Sculp.' identifies Boucher as the etcher, while the design goes back to Blomart.
Impact
Balanced and idyllic, the etching owes its calm to fine linework and a quiet arrangement. The woman's reflective pose and the man's bent figure evoke a contemplative mood that draws the viewer into the rural scene.
Technique
For this etching, the drawing was incised into a metal plate and bitten with acid. Fine lines and hatching create graduated shadows and give the motif a detailed texture. At 13.7 x 20.3 cm (image) and 14.3 x 20.5 cm (sheet), the print is relatively small and was designed for publication in a study book.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)