- 72
François Boucher
Estimate
30,000 - 40,000 GBP
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Description
- François Boucher
- three putti flying with a dove
- Black chalk and stumping, and red and white chalk, on buff paper;
bears signature in pen and brown ink: F. Boucher
Provenance
Sale, New York, Sotheby's, 27 January 1999, lot 118
Condition
Laid down twice, originally on an old mount and then again on a more recent backing sheet. There is a vertical area of creasing running down the centre of the sheet as a result of the paper making process. There is a scratch mark to the lower centre of the sheet. There is also evidence of some old repairs to the lower and left edges. There is some minor surface dirt throughout. The medium is still, on the whole, 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
The note in the sale catalogue of 1999 records that Alistair Laing confirmed that this study is connected to Boucher's ceiling painting, Le Printemps, executed in 1753 as one of four panels for the Salle du Conseil of the Palais de Fontainebleau. The decoration of the ceiling was commissioned from Boucher on 1 May 1753 by the Marquis de Marigny and was finished by November of that year. Boucher received 1600 livres for the central panel of the Chariot of Apollo and 2400 livres for the four panels of the Seasons. Most probably this drawing was made after the painting, as an independent work, rather than in preparation for it; the medium of trois crayons suggests this, as does the fact that the drawing only depicts the group of three closely entwined putti, rather than the four seen in the painting.1 Louis Bonnet made a red crayon manner print after this drawing, in the same direction and with the addition of some supporting clouds, titled L'Air.2
1. A. Ananoff, François Boucher, Lausanne/Paris 1976, vol. II, p. 107, fig. 1183
2. P. Jean-Richard, L'Oeuvre gravé de François Boucher, Paris 1978, p. 108, no. 325, reproduced