Offered by Franck Baptiste Provence
A rare pair of paintings in blue monochrome depicting lively Chinese folk scenes with oriental figures, pagodas, parasols, pavilions, and exotic gardens in fantastical landscapes.
The first panel represents a bustling Chinese fair centered around a ceremonial chariot, pagodas, and groups of dignitaries and servants in a vast, imaginary oriental setting. The second depicts a Chinese garden populated by elegant young women surrounded by servants, parasols, and fanciful architecture.
The panels are presented in their original carved and gilded wooden frames.
Oil on original canvas.
In very fine condition. French work from the Louis XV period, circa 1750-1760.
Dimensions:
Frame: Width: 124 cm; Height: 96 cm
Canvas: Width: 108 cm; Height: 78 cm
Our opinion:
The two compositions we are presenting are directly inspired by the famous paintings created by François Boucher in 1742 for the Royal Beauvais Tapestry Manufactory to fulfill the second set of tapestries known as the "Chinese" tapestry series. The original sketches, created to serve as models for the tapestries, were presented at the 1742 Salon and are now held at the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology in Besançon.
The designs were subsequently engraved and published by Gabriel Huquier in a collection dedicated to Boucher's chinoiserie, thus disseminating this decorative repertoire widely among 18th-century painters, decorators, and artisans.
Our paintings reproduce precisely the engraved compositions entitled "The Chinese Fair" and "The Chinese Garden," here freely reinterpreted with a particularly refined decorative flair. The scenes have been simplified and made more open to better integrate into a Rococo-style wood-paneled or apartment setting.
The exquisitely delicate monochrome blue treatment evokes the blue and white porcelain decorations of China; this type of monochrome was highly prized during the reign of Louis XV and is a recurring motif in the work of François Boucher.
The finest example of this style is probably the two overdoors from the same series, delivered by the master in 1742 for the Duchess of Mailly's (1710-1751) blue bedroom at the Château de Choisy. The Chinese tea and the gallant chinoiserie complemented the room's wood paneling and also echoed the furniture, notably the superb set (commode and pair of corner cabinets) by Matthieu Criaerd in blue Martin varnish, now in the Louvre.
Our two paintings were probably intended as large overdoors in the drawing room of a grand château or aristocratic townhouse, where their elongated format and delicate monochrome palette would have complemented painted wood paneling and rich Rococo decor.
It is quite possible that they originated from the extensive workshop of François Boucher, whose activity was considerable at the time, and who received numerous commissions following the acclaim for the sumptuous decor he executed for Louis XV's favorite.
The softness of the modeling, the subtle gradations of color, and the hazy atmosphere of the landscapes lend the whole a distinctly Rococo poetry, characteristic of French taste in the mid-18th century.
