Attribué à François Boucher

A l'oeil nu : Le tableau apparaît dans un état de conservation très satisfaisant. Il a fait l'objet d'un rentoilage ancien réalisé dans la première moitié du XXème siècle, très correctement et qui n'a pas tassé la matière. Le tableau était initialement un dessus de porte : il avait les coins inférieurs coupés à l'origine, et par la suite mis au carré au moment du rentoilage. Le tableau a une belle matière et on ne remarque pas de restauration à l'oeil nu, à l'exception des agrandissements dus à la mise en rectangle dans les parties basses à gauche et à droite. A la lampe U.V. : Vernis vert homogène et uniforme. On remarque d'infimes petits points dans les fonds. To the naked eye : The painting appears in a very satisfactory condition. It has been formerly relined during the first half of the 20th century. The relining was realized correctly and it did not compress the material. The painting was initially an overdoor and its lower corners were cut ; they have been square-sharped during the relining. The painting has a nice material and we cannot see any restoration to the naked eye, apart from the extension due to the shaping on the lower parts, on the left and on the right. Under the U.V. light : Green uniform varnish. We notice some very tiny dots in the background.
"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."

Our two graceful nymphs reflect well with their tender gestures this eroticism so popular in art during the 18th century. A colorful sensuality crossed through French Rococo and it had to be the artist François Boucher, to whom we attribute today these two nymphs, to render the most charming illustrations. These two attendants of Diana, isolated in their verdant forest with their hunting spoils at their side, occupy today the main subject of a painting, which was certainly part of an overdoor panel transformed into an easel painting during the early 19th century.
Our attribution to François Boucher is based on the proximity of this work with another painting by Boucher, now in the collections of the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco.
Representing this same scene of a nymph touching another with an ear of wheat¹ but in a height-wise format, this painting from San Francisco was part of a decorative ensemble once kept in the Harlaxton Manor, the stunning residence of the esthete Gregory Williams (1786-1854), alias "Gregory Gregory". Alexandre Ananoff had reproduced this version height-wise in his written work on the painter and thought that it was part of an interior decor from the Château at Bellevue².
If this painting was probably not from the Château of Bellevue³, this version from the American museum nevertheless was executed in the years of 1743-45. In fact, the Boucher exhibition catalogue from 1986 dates the work around 1743 the Companions of Diana (London, Wallace Collection) which would be the genesis of this type of composition⁴. Is our painting also part a commission made in the 1740s to respond to this eager desire for sensual mythological paintings? Very similar to the San Francisco version, it cannot be too far apart in dating, however its slightly different manner divides the specialists of the Master who have viewed our painting. Some fully identify Boucher by the brilliant use of carmines radiating the contours of the cheeks; others consider it a work involving the studio of the great Rococo painter... Finally in both cases, this refined canvas bears well the various aspects of François Boucher's works.

1. Fine Art Museum of San Francisco, Legion of Honor collection, inv. 75.2.3
2. A. Ananoff, François Boucher, catalogue raisonné, Paris,
3. T. BUROLLET, Musée Cognacq-Jay. 1, Paintings and Drawings, Paris, 1980, p. 49
4. François Boucher, 1703-1770 : the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, February 17-May 4, 1986, the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, May 27-August 17,1986, Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, September 19, 1986-January 5, 1987, exh. cat., Paris, 1986, p. 223.