Fountain of Venus
François Boucher·1756
Historical Context
Fountain of Venus (1756), in the Cleveland Museum of Art, depicts the goddess of love presiding over an elaborate fountain surrounded by nymphs and cupids. The painting belongs to the tradition of mythological decoration that adorned the most important rooms of aristocratic residences, combining classical learning with visual splendor. Boucher's Venus paintings established the definitive Rococo image of the love goddess — youthful, luminous, and surrounded by attendants in an atmosphere of luxurious ease. The Cleveland Museum's French Rococo holdings include this as a significant example of Boucher's decorative mythology.
Technical Analysis
The water effects are painted with surprising naturalism for Boucher, with cascading streams and spray catching light. Venus's luminous flesh provides the warm focal point against the cooler blues and greens of the water and landscape setting.
Provenance
Baron Edmond de Rothschild [1845-1934], Paris, by descent to his son, Maurice de Rothschild; Maurice de Rothschild [1881-1957], Paris, confiscated by the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg; In possession of the Nazis; Rothschild Family, to P. & D. Colnaghi; (P. & D. Colnaghi, London, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
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