François Boucher

The Artist in his Studio (c. 1730/35), by François Boucher in the Louvre, Paris (Photo courtesy of the Louvre)
The Artist in his Studio (c. 1730/35), by François Boucher in the Louvre, Paris
The Artist in his Studio (c. 1730/35), by François Boucher in the Louvre, Paris, François Boucher, General (Photo courtesy of the Louvre)
Portrait of François Boucher (c. 1741), by Gustaf Lundberg in the Louvre, Paris, François Boucher, General (Photo courtesy of the Louvre)
Sketch for a Portrait of Madame de Pompadour (c. 1750) by François Boucher in the Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire, England, François Boucher, General (Photo courtesy of the Rothschild Family and the National Trust)
Vulcan Presenting Venus with Arms for Aeneas (1757) by François Boucher in the Louvre, Paris, François Boucher, General (Photo courtesy of the Louvre)
The Toilet of Venus (1752) by François Boucher in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, François Boucher, General (Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art)

18C French court painter or baroque portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes

François Boucher (1703-70), Louis XV's court painter, studied Watteau and produced lots of decorative landscapes and genre works (as well as portrtaits of his patron—and Louis's official mistress—the famed Madame de Pompadour).

He also designed theater sets (no surprise there) and taperstries, and even served as inspector at the Royal Gobelins Manufactory.

Boucher also said perhaps the most roccoco thing ever: ":a nature est trop verte et mal éclairée" ("Nature is too green and badly lit").

Selected works by François Boucher in England


"Madame de Pompadour" (1759) by François Boucher in the Wallace Collection, London

"Venus and Cupid" (1750–60) by François Boucher in the Wallace Collection, London

Where to find works by François Boucher in England