Little Boy Holding a Wreath and Basket of Flowers, from 'Deuxième Livre de Figures d'après les porcelaines de la Manufacture Royale de France'
Original title: Little boy holding a wreath and basket of flowers, from "Deuxième Livre de Figures d'après les porcelaines de la Manufacture Royale de France" (Second Book of Figures after porcelains from the Manufacture Royale de France)
kurzbeschreibung
Made after 1757, this etching and engraving by Pierre François Tardieu presents a boy wearing a flower garland and carrying a basket filled with blossoms. The subject comes from a series that reproduced porcelain figures of the Manufacture Royale de France as prints. Tardieu combined etching with engraving to render it.
Description
A boy stands on a tree stump, holding a garland of flowers in one hand and a basket of blooms in the other. He wears a plain shirt and trousers gathered by a belt. Trees and a river make up the rural setting behind him. Soft, diffuse light lends the print a calm mood, and the arrangement feels well balanced. Everything stays monochrome, in shades of grey.
Context
The print belongs to the 'Deuxième Livre de Figures d'après les porcelaines de la Manufacture Royale de France', a series issued after 1757. The Manufacture Royale de France, also known as the porcelain manufactory of Vincennes or Sèvres, produced figurative porcelain pieces that this series documented in printed form. Tardieu was known for translating such models into engraving.
Impact
The symmetrical layout and the quiet landscape give the sheet a balanced, idyllic air. Its restrained grey tones produce an elegance characteristic of eighteenth-century reproductive prints.
Technique
Etching and engraving on paper are brought together here. Delicate lines and hatching give the figure plastic modelling and create depth in the distance. The process allows precise details such as the flowers in the basket and the surface of the tree stump.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)