FRANÇOIS BOUCHER | A young woman lying on her front

Samuel Jones Loyd, later 1st Baron Overstone (1796-1883),
thence by inheritance to his son-in-law, Brigadier-General Robert Loyd-Lindsay, 1st Baron Wantage, VC, KCB, VD (1832-1901), Lockinge, Oxfordshire,
thence by descent to the present owner

London, Burlington Fine Arts Club, Pictures, Drawings, Furniture and Objets d'Art, 1924-5, no. 205;
King's Lynn, Fermoy Art Gallery, French Drawings of the 17th and 18th Century, 1985, no. 5

G. Redford, Descriptive Catalogue of works of Art at Overstone Park, Lockinge House and Carlton Gardens, 1878, no. 139 (as "style of Boucher");
Guide to the Pictures at Lockinge House (A.T. Loyd's Collection), 1928, p. 30;
The Loyd Collection of Paintings and Drawings at Betterton House, Lockinge near Wantage, Berkshire, London 1967, p. 49, no. 68, fig. 68, reproduced;
F. Russell, The Loyd Collection of Paintings, Drawings and Sculptures, 1991, p. 31, no. 68, fig. 52, reproduced

Laid down on an old card backing, which has been subsequently hinge mounted along the upper edge to a mount. There is an old crease to the lower left corner and three small water stains to the centre of the lower edge. There is evidence of minor surface dirt and scattered foxing in places and a light brown stain to the lower right corner. The combination of media remains predominantly fresh throughout and the paper retains much of its vivid blue colour. Sold in a giltwood frame.
"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."

Executed with the freedom and gusto that made Boucher the preeminent force in French art during the 18^th century, and his drawings so keenly sought after by collectors from his lifetime through to the present day, this fine sheet, drawn in a combination of black and white chalk, on blue paper, is a captivating and highly characteristic example of the Frenchman’s work as a draughtsman. Here the artist has depicted a full length female figure, lying on her front, her left arm outstretched. While the pose is highly reminiscent of some of Boucher’s most iconic drawings from earlier in his career, such as Study of a young girl lying on her front,¹ which relates to Boucher’s erotically charged L’Odalisque,² the voluminous silk dress, heaped around the body of his model in the present work, adds a degree of restraint that is so clearly absent in these other two nudes.

Though previously linked on stylistic grounds to two drawings,³ both of which are connected with Boucher’s painting La Pipée aux Oiseaux,⁴ Alastair Laing, who has recently reexamined the drawing in the original and reaffirmed the attribution to Boucher, has proposed a revised dating of circa 1760-65. Though no connection to any other painting by the artist has so far been identified, Laing believes that the Loyd drawing was probably done for, or derived from, one of the main figures in a pastoral scene, or possibly a landscape.

^1. See sale, London, Sotheby’s, 5 July 2000, lot 57 (£223,500)
^2. A. Ananoff, François Boucher, Lausanne and Paris 1976, vol. I, p. 379, no. 264, fig. 789, reproduced
^3. Ibid., vol. II, p. 22, no. 324/1, fig. 939, reproduced and no. 324/11
^4. Ibid., p. 21, no. 324/a, fig. 935, reproduced