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Rococo Painting, The Brunette Odalisque, Nude Woman, Studio of Francois Boucher

circa 1760

About the Item

A voluptuous woman lies prone on a divan, bearing her backside and turning her head flirtatiously to the viewer, though averting her eyes slightly, as if to maintain a coy demeanor. Surrounded by lush fabrics of deep blues, the creamy tones of her skin and dressing gown are thrown in sharp contrast, making the figure glow luminously. The whole painting is ordered by folds - of flesh, of fabric, of cushions, of the rug - inviting the viewer's eye to look closely across the topography of the canvas. One of Boucher's cabinet paintings (that is, paintings made for private collectors rather than official exhibition at the Salon), the open eroticism of this work invites a voyeuristic gaze. Although it was created for a private audience, it was later displayed at the Salon of 1767, where the critic Denis Diderot found it shocking and lascivious. Nonetheless, Boucher would later paint another iteration of this reclining pose, this time using Marie-Louise O'Murphy, a favorite mistress of King Louis XV, as his model, suggesting that the provocative composition was a stock figure for Boucher's private commissions. "The Brunette Odalisque" (French: L'Odalisque or l'Odalisque brune) is a painting of c. 1745 by François Boucher, now in the Louvre in Paris. He later produced two other works in the odalisque genre, both known as "The Blonde Odalisque". The present painting is another version of Bouchers painting which differs in minor details. The quality of the paint is very fine and the whole technique and style allows a dating to c. 1750. As Boucher's Painting was very famous there were several copies and versions which were made by his studio. The present painting can be attributed to the close circle of Boucher. The Painting is framed in a golden frame which was built in the Rococo style in c. 1990. Both the title of Boucher's painting and the objects found in the interior fix the subject as an odalisque, a concubine within the harem of the Ottoman sultan. The sumptuous textiles and exotic, decorative objects suggest early traces of Orientalism, although the figure appears European. Odalisque paintings would experience a resurgence in popularity in the mid-nineteenth century with the advent of Romanticism, as colonial tendencies increased interest in both the Near East and northern Africa. Boucher's Odalisque bears visible influence on the work of artists such as J.A.D. Ingres and Eugène Delacroix. Provenance: Ferdand Houget, Belgium La Baronne de Thuret Paris, Hotel Drouot, 24. Juni 1981, Lot 68 Christie's London, 15. April 1983, lot 26 as F. Boucher with illustration Literature Exhibition Catalogue "Francois Boucher", Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York 1986, p. 220 under no. 48 (dark-haired Odalisque), listed as no 11 François Boucher: catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre. Ananoff, Alexandre, Paris 1966, 2 Vol., p.265
  • Creation Year:
    circa 1760
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 21.26 in (54 cm)Width: 25.6 in (65 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Circle Of:
    François Boucher (1703 - 1770, French)
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Greven, DE
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU155028089482

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