Chinoiserie with a female figure holding burning perfumes, from Suite de Figures Chinoises. . .Tiré du Cabinet de Mr. d'Azaincourt (Series of Chinoiserie Figures. . .From the Chambers of Mr. d'Azaincourt), plate 2
Original title: Chinoiserie with a female figure holding burning perfumes, from Suite de Figures Chinoises. . .Tiré du Cabinet de Mr. d'Azaincourt (Series of Chinoiserie Figures. . .From the Chambers of Mr. d'Azaincourt), plate 2
kurzbeschreibung
A woman in Chinese dress holds a long apparatus with two hanging vessels — this motif comes from Jean Pierre Louis Laurent Hoüel and was made between 1755 and 1776. The figure stands on a platform bordered by plants and a pavilion; further buildings and trees are suggested behind. The sheet belongs to the 'Suite de Figures Chinoises' from the collection of Monsieur d'Azaincourt.
Description
With an elongated frame bearing two burning vessels, the female figure steps forward; her gaze turns to the left. She wears elaborate Chinese attire and stands elevated on a platform. Lush plants frame her, as does a pavilion with an Asian roof. The arrangement feels symmetrical and follows a decorative, ornamental scheme. Distant buildings and trees close off the pictorial space.
Context
The series drew its inspiration from the cabinet of the French collector d'Azaincourt. A drawing by François Boucher, a leading master of the Rococo who did much to promote chinoiserie in France, served as the model. This fashion expressed European enthusiasm for distant China without aiming for historical accuracy. The suite appeared between 1755 and 1776, a time when exotic motifs were widely disseminated in the decorative arts.
Impact
Fine lines and the exotic setting give the sheet an elegant yet playful air. The woman with the perfume apparatus lends the scene a calm, almost ceremonial mood and carries the viewer off to an idealized faraway place. Delicate graphic work and ornamental design make the print a typical example of Rococo chinoiserie.
Technique
Etching and copper engraving complement each other: one produces soft, painterly lines, the other precise details. Printing was on paper; the plate measures 22.5 × 17 cm, the sheet 34.8 × 26 cm. The technique allows subtle gradations in the hatching, which come into play in rendering fabrics and architecture.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)