- 84
François Boucher
Estimate
25,000 - 35,000 GBP
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Description
- François Boucher
- Reclining female nude
- Black, red and white chalk within black framing lines;
bears old attribution in pen and brown ink, lower left: f. Bouché
Provenance
With Jean de Cayeux, Galerie Cailleux (L.4461);
Jeffrey E. Horvitz (on deposit at the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Mass.);
sale, Paris, Tajan, 12 April 1999, lot 15
Jeffrey E. Horvitz (on deposit at the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, Mass.);
sale, Paris, Tajan, 12 April 1999, lot 15
Exhibited
Paris, Galerie Cailleux, Sanguines, 1978, no. 6, reproduced
Literature
M. Amaya, 'Drawings of the female nude', Architectural design, June 1978, p. 76, reproduced
Condition
Laid down on an 18th century mount. Tiny scattered fox marks, barely visible. There are areas of abrasion where the sheet has been rubbed. A faint vertical line at the left margin. Some white circular marks that may be water stains, two located at the lower right corner and another two at the lower margin in the centre.
Overall chalk remains fresh and strong.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
This study was most certainly drawn from life and the rapid application of chalk with sketch-like strokes indicates it was likely to have been a preliminary study rather than a finished drawing. It does not, however, relate to any known painted work by Boucher. Alastair Laing suggests it may have been intended for a picture of Venus contemplating mating doves; an example of this type of composition can be seen in a later drawing that was engraved by Bonnet.1 He also points out that the inscription at the lower left of the sheet, incorporating an 'é' rather than an 'r', is found on certain works executed in the early stages of Boucher's career, before he was well known.
We are grateful to Alastair Laing for his assistance in cataloguing this drawing.
1. P. Jean-Richard, L'oeuvre gravé de François Boucher dans la Collection Edmond de Rothschild, Paris 1978, p. 122, no. 384, reproduced, p. 123, fig. 384