Smell
Original title: Smell
kurzbeschreibung
François Boucher made this etching and engraving between 1720 and 1770. An allegorical group of three figures offers flowers and herbs, embodying the sense of smell.
Description
In the foreground a plainly dressed man kneels, busy with a basket full of flowers. A woman in rich, traditional dress stands at the centre, holding a flower and touching another figure. To the right a child looks at the woman. A wooden rack of flowers and herbs closes off the back, with a potted plant to its right. The layout feels symmetrical, the figures placed centrally while plants frame them at the sides; carefully graded light and shadow give the bodies volume.
Context
The subject belongs to a five-part series on the senses made in the first half of the eighteenth century. Boucher was then among the leading Rococo painters, known for his pleasing, decorative scenes. Etching and engraving made his inventions available to a wider public. The sense of smell was much enjoyed in the eighteenth century and often linked with flowers and fragrant herbs.
Impact
Clean linework and a balanced arrangement give the sheet a calm, harmonious presence. Despite the allegorical theme, the scene feels true to life and inviting without being insistent.
Technique
Etching and engraving work together here to produce precise lines and nuanced tonal values. Details such as fabric folds and leaves can thus be rendered very exactly. The black-and-white version emphasises the print's graphic qualities.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)