Fountain with Two Tritons Blowing Conch Shells

Black chalk with stumping, and red chalk, heightened with white chalk on beige laid paperFrançois Boucher (French, 1703–1770)/c. 1736

Description

In this early chalk drawing, François Boucher combined plants, dolphins, rocks, shells, and tritons (mythological creatures that are part man and part fish) into a design that was meant to suggest a fountain in a rocky garden grotto. This sheet represents l'art rocaille, or "rock and shell art," a style of ornament that developed in France during the 1730s and featured decorative compositions with abundant detail. The image was one of seven that the printmaker Gabriel Huquier translated as etchings around the time Boucher completed them. These reproductions helped to bring Boucher's work to a broader audience, including other artists who emulated his style.

Provenance

Possibly Gabriel Huquier [1695-1772], Paris; (his sale, Paris, Tableaux, Gouaches, Desseins...du Cabinet de M. ***, 1771, no. 89); (possibly sale, Paris, Tableaux...composant le cabinet de M. Rochaz, February 11, 1856, no. 3); Probably M. Marmontel; (Hotel Drouot, Paris, Aquarelles et Dessins...composant la collection de M. Marmontel, January 25-26, 1883, no. 44); Possibly "M[onsieur] S."; (Hotel Drouot, Paris, Dessins Anciens et Modernes...Appartenant à M. S..., June 1, 1896, no. 2); Franz Lederer [1899-2000], Palm Springs, CA; (Erich Lederer, Geneva, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Dimensions

37.7 × 22.2 cm

Source

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Movement / Period

Drawings

Accession No

1952.529

Official Citations

[The Cleveland Museum of Art Official Record][Full Resolution Image]

Curatorial Affinity Stream

Continuing the Universe of François Boucher (French, 1703–1770)

Drawings • France, 18th century • Harmonious Works & Contemporaries

Continuous Discovery