François Boucher Paris 1703 - 1770

Possibly Grimod de la Reynière, his posthumous sale, Paris, 21 August 1797 and following days, lot 48 ("Un dessin à la plume, legèrement lavé de sanguine, sujet de Bacchanale");
Purchased London, Christie's, 3 April 1984, lot 91 (as Attributed to Boucher)

Unframed. Laid down. A slight abrasion at the left edge. Overall in very good condition. Slight light grey mark, lower right. Slight surface dirt. The wash and pen are still fresh.
"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."

The precise yet flickering penwork seen here is also to be found in drawings by Boucher such as the similar sized sheet representing the Judgement of Paris, in Frankfurt¹, which dates from 1745.  The other technically distinctive aspect of this drawing, the combination of brown pen and wash with a rose-coloured background wash, occurs in a small number of other drawings dating from the 1740s to the mid '60s; yet examples from the latter period, such as the Young Garden Girl, in the Petit Palais, or the Nativity (private collection)² seem to be executed in a slightly more expansive manner than the present work, which should therefore probably be dated between about 1745 and 1755.  Boucher's subjects of this type were hugely popular, and widely engraved, but no print of this composition is known.

We are grateful to Alastair Laing for confirming the attribution, and for suggesting that this may have been the drawing in the 1797 Grimod de la Reynière sale.

1. Städelsches Kunstinstitut, no. 1163.  Reproduced Marianne Roland Michel, Le dessin français au XVIIIe siècle, Fribourg 1987, p. 247, fig. 297

2. Alastair Laing, The Drawings of François Boucher, exhibition catalogue, New York, The Frick Collection, and Fort Worth, Kimbell Art Museum, 2003-4, cat. nos. 49 and 80 respectively