Venus

c. 1754

François Boucher

Associated Names
François Boucher

Artist, French, 1703 - 1770

The image shows a full-body sketch of a reclining person on their back, with the head turned slightly to the side. The person is lying with one leg bent at the knee and the other leg extended, while their arms are positioned across the torso. The facial features are softly defined, with closed eyes and the hair appears curly and styled up, though details are subtle. The individual is depicted without clothing, drawn with gentle lines and shading that capture the contours of the body. The surrounding area features a simple, textured background without any additional objects or decorations.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    black chalk with touches of red chalk, heightened with white chalk on gray paper

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Gertrude Laughlin Chanler

  • Dimensions

    overall: 22.5 x 40 cm (8 7/8 x 15 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2000.9.5

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Peter Jones, Chester; Mr. Greene; Basil Lewis Dighton [d. 1930], London; The Hon. Irwin Boyle Laughlin, Washington, D.C., 1918; his wife, Therese Iselin Laughlin, Washington, D.C., 1941; their daughter, Gertrude Laughlin Chanler, New York, 1958; gift to NGA, 2000.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1917

  • Drawings by Deceased Masters, Burlington Fine Arts Club, London, 1917, no. 87.

1932

  • French Art, 1200 - 1900, Burlington House, London, 1932, no. 766 (Commemorative catalogue, London, 1933: 142, no. 645, pl. 170).

1982

  • Eighteenth Century Drawings from the Collection of Mrs. Gertrude Laughlin Chanler, NGA, Washington, D.C., 1982, no. 6.

2000

  • Drawings and Prints from the Permanent Collection (Summer 2000), National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2000 (no catalogue).

Bibliography

1950

  • Shoolman, R., and C. E. Slatkin, Six Centuries of French Master Drawings in America. New York, 1950: no. 36.

1989

  • Ingamells, John. The Wallace Collection, Catalogue of Pictures. Vol. 3, French before 1815. London, 1989: 52, under no. P438.

2000

  • Richard, Paul. "Classic Examples of Peer Pleasure," The Washington Post (Sunday, August 27, 2000): G6.

Wikidata ID

Q64569761

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