拍品 60
  • 60

FRANÇOIS BOUCHER | Sketch of two cupids in the air

估價
8,000 - 12,000 USD
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招標截止

描述

  • François Boucher and Studio
  • Sketch of two cupids in the air
  • Black and white chalk, within pen and black ink framing lines, on buff paper;bears inscription lower left, in pen and brown ink: f.B.. followed by the cipher of the auctioneer, Pierre Remy (?)
  • 250 by 179 mm; 9 3/4  by 7 in

來源

Richard Sheridan,
from whom bought 11 April 1946 by French and Company,
sold to Ira Haupt 1st August 1948;
Private Collection, Switzerland;
sale, New York, Sotheby's, 28 January 1998, lot 52 (as Attributed to François Boucher),
where acquired by Bernadette and William M.B. Berger, Denver, Colorado

展覽

New York, The Frick Collection, and Fort Worth, The Kimbell Art Museum, The Drawings of François Boucher, 2003-4, (catalogue by Alastair Laing), p. 134, cat. no. 46, reproduced p. 135

Condition

Laid down. Light scattered foxing/stains throughout, more concentrated along the left margin. Chalk is strong and vivid.
"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."

拍品資料及來源

Putti and cupids are abundant throughout Boucher’s oeuvre, not only as part of larger compositions, but as stand-alone studies like the present drawing.  The vast number of prints of putti and cupids that were executed after Boucher’s originals demonstrates the popularity of these charming, sweet and delightful figures. We are grateful to Alastair Laing, who, from recently seeing the original, has reaffirmed the attribution to Boucher.  Alastair Laing discusses the difficulty in precisely dating the drawing due to the fact there is no drawing, painting or engraving that it relates to, but he compares it to other cupids that appear in paintings of the 1750s.  In particular he compares the lower cupid with two in Apollo Revealing His Divinity to Issé  (1750) in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Tours, with one in the Beauvais tapestry of The Slumber of Rinaldo (1752), and with two in the group of three that appear upper right in Venus in Vulcan’s Forge (1757).1

The Berger drawing is a tender and sweet portrayal of two winged putti or cupids softly rendered in black and white chalk.  It is an image that is undeniably associated with Boucher and a recurring theme that runs throughout his diverse career, one that was wholeheartedly embraced by the adoring collectors of his time.

1. Exhib. cat., op.cit., p. 134, under no. 46