François Boucher

Jean-Baptiste Glomy (L.1119);
Roblin sale, Paris, 16-17 May 1898, lot 41;
Lady Burdett-Coutts;
with Thomas Agnew & Sons Ltd, London;
sale, New York, Sotheby's, 29 January 1997, lot 125,
where acquired by Bernadette and William M.B. Berger, Denver, Colorado

 

A. Ananoff, L'Oeuvre Dessiné de François Boucher, Paris 1966, cat no. 18;
A. Ananoff (in collaboration with the Wildenstein Institute), François Boucher, Paris 1976, vol. II, p. 177, under no. 501, no. 501/1, reproduced, fig. 1398

Laid down on Glomy mount (and mount hinged to board at all four edges). Minor foxing to paper throughout, more noticeable in lower right corner and above the water basin. Slight rubbing in upper right and lower right corners. Overall chalk is in very good condition and much stronger than in the catalogue illustration, the paper is a greenish-blue color. Sold in a modern gilt frame.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Delightfully playful, this charming composition depicts two children beside a basin of water; they are engaged in a sort of jovial tussle as one child clambers over the other whilst grabbing hold of his companion’s arm.  Children and Putti play a prominent role in Boucher’s art and this is certainly a familiar theme that is represented in numerous paintings and engravings.  The children seen here feature, with some differences, in the lower right section of Boucher’s painting, Le Pecheur (fig. 1), signed and dated 1759, now in the Kunsthalle, Hamburg.¹  However, rather than being the preparatory study for the pair in the painting, Alastair Laing proposes that the present work is a studio variant.  With its high degree of finish and the use of coloured chalks it is in fact a work in its own right and satisfies as a stand-alone composition.  The playfulness taps into the frivolity and carefree nature of the Rococo taste and emphasizes the idyllic notion of life that Boucher was so keen to portray.

 ^1. Ananoff, op.cit., 1976, fig. 1399