The Archery Contest

1765

François Boucher

Associated Names
François Boucher

Artist, French, 1703 - 1770

This is a drawing of cherubs engaged in playful activities on a cloud. The artwork depicts several cherubs lounging and interacting with one another amidst ethereal clouds. Some cherubs hold arrows, and others appear to be engaged in a lively, celebratory mood. The drawing is executed with delicate pencil strokes and highlighted areas, imbuing the scene with a sense of lightness and movement. The paper has a warm, sepia tone that complements the soft shading. The scene blends aspects of classical and Rococo styles, characterized by the cherubs’ rounded forms and a sense of playful innocence. The composition is framed within an arched border.

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    black and white chalks on light brown laid paper (formerly blue)

  • Credit Line

    Woodner Collection, Gift of Andrea Woodner

  • Dimensions

    overall: 25.8 x 85.6 cm (10 3/16 x 33 11/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2006.11.65

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Pierre-Louis-Paul Randon de Boisset [1709-1776]; (his estate sale, Paris, 27 February 1777, no. 356); Baron Nathaniel Mayer von Rothschild [1836-1905], Vienna; by inheritance to his nephew Baron Alphons de Rothschild [1878-1942], Vienna; (Rosenberg and Stiebel, New York) by 1953; Sydney J. Lamon, New York (sale, London, Christie's, 27 November 1973, lot 317); Harry Michaels (sale, London, Christie's, 11 December 1979, lot 158); (purchased by Thomas Agnew and Sons, Ltd., London, with Spencer Samuels, New York); purchased by Ian Woodner, New York; by inheritance to his daughters, Andrea and Dian Woodner, New York, 1990.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1953

  • Five Centuries of Drawings, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, 1953, no. 173.

1982

  • Fragonard & His Friends: Changing Ideals in Eighteenth Century Art. Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida, 1982-1983, no. 27, repro.

1983

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection, J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, CA; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, TX; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; and Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 1983-85, no. 59, repro.

1986

  • Dibujos de los siglos XIV al XX: Colección Woodner, Museo del Prado, Madrid, 1986-87, no. 97, repro.

  • Meisterzeichnungen aus Sechs Jahrhunderten: Die Sammlung Ian Woodner, Haus der Kunst, Munich and Albertina, Vienna, 1986, no. 82, repro.

1987

  • Master Drawings: The Woodner Collection, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1987, no. 80, repro.

1990

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1990, no. 100, repro.

1995

  • The Touch of the Artist: Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1995-1996, no. 91 (entry by Margaret Morgan Grasselli), repro.

1997

  • Six Centuries/Six Artists, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1997, no cat.

2006

  • Master Drawings from the Woodner Collections, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2006-2007, no cat.

2009

  • Renaissance to Revolution: French Drawings from the National Gallery of Art, 1500-1800. National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2009, no. 55, repro.

2017

  • The Woodner Collections: Master Drawings from Seven Centuries, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2017, no cat.

2022

  • From the Medici to the Rothschilds. Patrons, Collectors and Philanthropists, Gallerie d'Italia, Milan, 2022-2023, cat. IX.9, repro

Bibliography

1983

  • Matteson, Lynn R. "Old Master Drawings from the Woodner Collection." Pantheon. 41 (1983): 386-387.

2022

  • Mazzocca, Fernando, and Schütze, Sebastian. Dai Medici ai Rothschild: Mecenati, Collezionisti, Filantropi. Exh. cat. Gallerie d'Italia, Milan, 2022-2023: 292-293, cat. IX.9.

Inscriptions

lower right in black chalk: f. Boucher 1765. f.

Wikidata ID

Q64569753

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