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Venus and Cupid
ca. 173215 7/8 x 12 5/8 in. (40.3 x 32.1 cm)
François Boucher
France (1703 - 1770)
Object Type:
Painting
Medium and Support:
Oil on canvas
Credit Line:
Marion Stratton Gould Fund
Accession Number:
1950.4
Location: Currently on view
Rococo, from the French word rocaille (rockwork or shell), was an 18th century decorative style that reacted against the classical tradition of the Academy and instead stressed color, light, movement, and a frank pleasure in living. The easy flowing brushwork and the luminous colors show the influence of Rubens.
As a rococo painter, François Boucher worked primarily in the service of Madame de Pompadour, mistress to Louis XV. His paintings satisfied the taste of a sophisticated public which was sensitive to the most subtle relations of color and liked pictures hung on the light paneling of even the smallest room.
This intimate painting of "Venus and Cupid," with its sensuously modeled nudes, embodies the French 18th century tendency to transform the Baroque style into one of more delicate elaboration and elegance. An 18th-century engraving, which P. Aveline made after the painting, is inscribed "F. Boucher pinxit."
[Gallery label text, 2008]
As a rococo painter, François Boucher worked primarily in the service of Madame de Pompadour, mistress to Louis XV. His paintings satisfied the taste of a sophisticated public which was sensitive to the most subtle relations of color and liked pictures hung on the light paneling of even the smallest room.
This intimate painting of "Venus and Cupid," with its sensuously modeled nudes, embodies the French 18th century tendency to transform the Baroque style into one of more delicate elaboration and elegance. An 18th-century engraving, which P. Aveline made after the painting, is inscribed "F. Boucher pinxit."
[Gallery label text, 2008]
Provenance
Private collection (Comtesse ---), Paris; purchased from her in early 1949 by Mr. Pallester; purchased from him by Nicholas M. Acquavella Galleries, New York (dealers); purchased from them by Caesar R. Diorio, New York (dealers); purchased from him by the Gallery in 1950
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Exhibition List
This object was included in the following exhibitions:
- Permanent Collection Treasures 6/1/1957 - 8/31/1957
- April At Home Memorial Art Gallery 4/7/1960 - 5/1/1960
- The Nude in Art The Vancouver Museum of Art 11/3/1964 - 11/29/1964
- European Paintings from the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery 1/15/1967 - 9/30/1967
- 18th Century Prints and Drawings 10/7/1977 - 10/30/1977
- Man, The Incomplete God 11/19/1977 - 2/12/1978
Bibliography
This object has the following bibliographic references:
- Article Scope: Reproduction only. Susan Dodge Peters, ed. Memorial Art Gallery: An Introduction to the Collection. Rochester, NY: Memorial Art Gallery in association with Hudson Hills Press, 1988.
- Memorial Art Gallery. Gallery Notes. Rochester, NY: Memorial Art Gallery, 1935-1995.
- Article Scope: Reproduction only. Rochester Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester Handbook. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press, 1961.
- Article Scope: Entry. The Nude in Art. Vancouver, Canada: The Vancouver Art Gallery, 1964.
Portfolio List
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This object is a member of the following portfolios: