François Boucher (1703-1770) - Les Crêpes

Rançois Boucher (1703-1770) - Les Crêpes Sanguine - Against Proof 1761/1763. Les Crêpes, an idealized scene imbued with a light vision of the peasantry which evokes the joys of rural life, simple and peaceful. In a living room, three young women chat in front of a fireplace. One sitting on a stool prepares pancakes, another standing at her side lifts her dress slightly to warm up, the last sitting on the same floor holds a child in her arms in a country living room. Dimensions: height 27.2cm width 20.5cm – frame height 39.8cm width 31.4cm. This drawing appears on page 69 under the number 126970 in the work: François Boucher by André Michel, curator of the National Museums, professor at the Louvre school. A similar drawing by François Boucher of the same composition went on sale at Artcurial, Paris, Thursday March 23, 2017, sale no. 3034, cat. 'Old Masters & 19th Century', lot 22, p. 26. François Boucher (1703-1770), famous painter in the eighteenth century in France and throughout Europe, consecrated First Painter to Louis XV in 1765, was also an immense draftsman. At a time when the art of drawing was considered primarily an academic exercise, Boucher was an exception by continuing to draw for his own pleasure. His best-known drawings illustrate the intimate and libertine style that dominated much of the eighteenth century. François Boucher was remarkably prolific, producing some 10,000 sheets during his career and often using his wife and children as models. References: Alastaire Laing, expert in paintings and sculptures for the National Trust in London. Pierre Rosenberg, of the French Academy, is Honorary President and Director of the Louvre Museum.