Fran Ois Boucher And The Art Of Collecting In Eighteenth Century France

"While earlier studies have focused predominantly on artist François Boucher's artistic style and identity, this book presents the first full-length interdisciplinary study of Boucher's prolific collection of around 13,500 objects including paintings, sculpture, prints, drawings, porcelain, shells, minerals, and other imported curios. It discusses the types of objects he collected, the networks through which he acquired them, and their spectacular display in his custom-designed studio at the Louvre, where he lived and worked for nearly two decades. This book explores the role his collection played in the development of his art, his studio, his friendships, and the burgeoning market for luxury goods in mid-eighteenth-century France. In doing so, it sheds new light on the relationship between Boucher's artistic and collecting practices, which attracted both praise and criticism from period observers. The book will appeal to scholars working in art history, museum studies, and French history"--

This first book in English to focus on Boucher for nearly twenty years is an invaluable contribution to the study of eighteenth-century art. Boucher has cried out for reassessment, and here, at last, his work is seen at its very best in numerous beautiful reproductions. Jo Hedley brings new insights into Boucher's art, explaining both his stylistic development and his cultural context; she also examines his legacy, both in a survey of the influence of his imagery in many media and in a deconstruction of the myth of his libidinous personality, based on his art, not his life. Boucher's artistic legacy is also analyzed, demonstrating how the mythology surrounding the painter's so-called libidinous private life have continued to undermine serious consideration of his ability. "Splendidly written and lavishly illustrated, Jo Hedley's book on Fran§ois Boucher is a pioneering publication . . . Hedley's book abounds in new information, fresh insights, and suggestive analysis."--Colin B. Bailey, The Burlington Magazine

French eighteenth-century painting is characterized by its immense variety, ranging from the "grand manner" -- history painting -- to so-called minor genres such as still-life and portraiture. Artists such as Boucher and Fragonard drew inspiration from many different sources: famous biblical or mythological episodes, to flutes galantes, and bourgeois domestic scenes. Jarasse explains the key artists and movements within this turbulent century and charts with high-quality, full-color illustrations the progressive emancipation of painters that paralleled the spread of Enlightened thinking. Artists surveyed include Watteau, Fragonard, Boucher, Greuze, Chardin and David as well as lesser-known but equally notable painters including Coypel, Le Moyne, Vernet, Oudry, Nattier and others.

A history of Francois Boucher (1703-1770), an originator of the Rococo style and one of the major French artists of the period. A general introduction is followed by essays on Boucher's early career, his impact on European art, his tapestry designs and his designs for Sevres porcelain.

This volume assembles a group of interrelated thought-provoking essays from leading international scholars in the field originally presented at the conference Boucher and the Enlightenment. The papers have been revised and enriched with further original research, incorporating important recent discoveries and trends in Boucher scholarship. The book includes a variety of inter-disciplinary topics including new biographical information regarding Boucher's life, artistic practices and relationships. Together they shed new light on Boucher's significance as one of the most original and controversial artists of the eighteenth century. The volume is the first major work on the artist to appear in recent years.