Allegory of Autumn

Allegory of Autumn (1753), at the Metropolitan Museum, is part of a series representing the four seasons as allegorical figures — a traditional decorative program that Boucher adapted to Rococo taste. Autumn is personified through figures associated with the grape harvest and Bacchic abundance, rendered in Boucher's characteristic pink-and-gold palette. Such seasonal series were essential elements of aristocratic interior decoration, adorning the boiserie panels and overdoors of Parisian hôtels particuliers. Boucher's versions brought his distinctive combination of mythological learning and sensuous charm to this venerable decorative tradition.

The allegorical figure is surrounded by autumnal attributes rendered in warm, rich tones of gold, purple, and russet. Boucher's smooth, idealized handling of the figure contrasts with the more naturalistic treatment of the harvest elements.