Study for a Monument to a Princely Figure

Study for a Monument to a Princely Figure (c. 1723-25), at the Metropolitan Museum, is an early work from Boucher's formative years, predating the fully developed Rococo style that would make him famous. The painting's more serious, architectural subject suggests the young artist exploring different approaches before settling on the pastoral and mythological subjects that would define his career. Early works like this are valuable documents of Boucher's artistic development, showing the range of his training before he found his characteristic voice.

The oil study on paper shows the young Boucher's developing decorative instinct. The architectural forms are rendered with careful perspective, while the surrounding allegorical elements show the nascent Rococo sensibility that would define his mature style.