François Boucher
French, 1703-1770
The extraordinary career of Francois Boucher was unmatched by his contemporaries in versatility, consistency and output. For many, particularly the writers and collectors who led the revival of interest in the French rococo during the last century, his sensuous beauties and plump cupids represent the French eighteenth century at its most typical. His facility with the brush, even when betraying the occasional superficiality of his art, enabled him to master every aspect of painting – history and mythology, portraiture, landscape, ordinary life and, as part of larger compositions, even still life. He had been trained as an engraver, and the skills of a draftsman, which he imbued in the studio of Jean-Francois Cars (1661 – 1738), stood him in good stead throughout his career; his delightful drawings are one of the most sought-after aspects of his oeuvre. As a student of Francois Lemoyne (1688 - 1737), he mastered the art of composition. The four years he spent in Italy, from 1727-1731, educated him in the works of the masters, classics and history, that his modest upbringing had denied him. On his return to Paris in 1734, he gained full membership of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture with his splendid Rinaldo and Armida (Paris, Musée du Louvre). Although, throughout his career, he occasionally painted subjects taken from the Bible, and would always have considered himself first as a history painter, his own repertoire of heroines, seductresses, flirtatious peasant girls and erotic beauties was better suited to a lighter, more decorative subject matter. His mastery of technique and composition enabled him to move from large scale tapestry cartoons (he worked throughout his career for both the Beauvais and Gobelins tapestry factories, becoming director of the latter in 1755), to intimate masterpieces such as Diana Resting (Paris, Louvre) or Leda and the Swan and the occasional scene from everyday life such as The Luncheon (Paris, Louvre), with its elegantly dressed figures grouped around a well-laid table.
Enormously successful and widely bought, Boucher’s output was prodigious. First patronized by the Crown in the 1730s, and appointed Premier Peintre du Roi in 1765, he executed numerous royal and princely commissions until his death in 1770, working particularly for Louis XV’s mistress, the Marquise de Pompadour in each of her several palaces. Always ready to utilize his talents in other fields, he designed stage sets for theatre and opera and supplied drawings to be used as designs for figures at the Vincennes (later Sèvres) porcelain factory. As a teacher, he was much loved by his many students, who included Fragonard, Le Prince, Deshays, Brenet, Baudouin, Lagrenee, and Madame de Pompadour herself.
In his earliest surviving works with their colourful rococo palette, even David, a distant cousin, was clearly influenced by Boucher. Not since Le Brun had a single French artist held such a monopoly on the imagery of a particular society or left such a mark on the art of his time.| Average Sold Price |
| $24,497 |
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| Related Creators |
Set of 4 Tapestries Signed by Beauvais Manufacture aft. F.Boucher, France, 1770
By François Boucher, Beauvais Royal Manufactory
Located in PARIS, FR
Each panel : Each panel = Height : 206 cm (81,1 in.) ; Width : 56 cm (22 in.) ; Depth : 4 cm (1,5 in.)
Beautiful set of four tapestries representing children’s pastorals, woven by the Beauvais Manufacture on cardboards by F. Boucher, inspired by his serie of paintings delivered around 1751 to the marquise de Pompadour for her Château de Crécy...
Category
1770s French Louis XVI Antique François Boucher
Materials
Tapestry, Giltwood
H 81.11 in W 22.05 in D 1.58 in
Ormolu Sèvres Porcelain Bronze Candelabra François Boucher, 18th Century
By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, François Boucher
Located in Lisbon, PT
A very rare Ormolu Sèvres Porcelain Gilt Bronze Candlesticks Candelabra with a hand painted scene by François Boucher.
‘P . F . Boucher’ original mark o...
Category
18th Century Neoclassical Antique François Boucher
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
H 11.03 in W 3.94 in D 3.94 in
Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher
By François Boucher
Located in Miami, FL
Antique engraving prints - make a great gift!
Fine crisp impression of great rarity; it is particularly unusual to find a 18th century color engraving print of this quality and cond...
Category
Late 18th Century French Neoclassical Antique François Boucher
Materials
Paper
H 19 in W 13.88 in D 0.07 in
18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print by François Boucher
By François Boucher
Located in Miami, FL
Antique engraving prints - make a great gift!
Fine crisp impression of great rarity; it is particularly unusual to find a 18th century color engraving print of this quality and cond...
Category
Late 18th Century French Neoclassical Antique François Boucher
Materials
Paper
H 19 in W 13.88 in D 0.07 in
Sèvres Porcelain & Ormolu Candelabra, François Boucher, 18th Century
By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, François Boucher
Located in Lisbon, PT
These pieces are dual-purpose — they serve as decorative urns, and they transform into candlestick candelabras with candleholders.
The urns feature intricately sculpted gilt bronze ...
Category
18th Century French Neoclassical Antique François Boucher
Materials
Bronze, Ormolu
Late 18th Century Neoclassical French Fashion Engraving Print, François Boucher
By François Boucher
Located in Miami, FL
Antique engraving prints, make a great gift!
Fine crisp impression of great rarity; it is particularly unusual to find a 18th century color engraving print of this quality and condi...
Category
Late 18th Century French Neoclassical Antique François Boucher
Materials
Paper
H 19 in W 13.88 in D 0.07 in
Ormolu Sèvres Porcelain Bronze Candelabra François Boucher, 18th Century
By Manufacture Nationale de Sèvres, François Boucher
Located in Lisbon, PT
A very rare Ormolu Sèvres Porcelain Gilt Bronze Candlesticks Candelabra with a hand painted scene by François Boucher.
‘P . F . Boucher’ original mark o...
Category
18th Century French Neoclassical Antique François Boucher
Materials
Brass, Bronze
H 11.03 in W 3.94 in D 3.94 in
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Shop NowFrançois Boucher Sale Prices
This data represents a recent sample of sales made on 1stDibs during the specified years. All sales are anonymized.
| Sold Date | Sold Price | Category | Material | Creation Year | ||||||||||||||||
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| $24,497 |
Average sold price of items in the past 12 months |
| $350-$96,281 |
| Sold price range of items in the past 12 months |
Creators Similar to François Boucher
François Boucher furniture for sale on 1stDibs.
François Boucher furniture are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of paper and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of François Boucher furniture, although gray editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original furniture by François Boucher were created in the neoclassical style in france during the 18th century and earlier. Prices for François Boucher furniture can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $350 and can go as high as $15,597, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $395.