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Venus and Cupid by François Boucher

Venus and Cupid

François Boucher·1742

Historical Context

Venus and Cupid from 1742 at the Gemaldegalerie Berlin shows the goddess with her son in a composition of Rococo intimacy. Boucher's Venus paintings define the feminine ideal of the French 18th century. Boucher's mythological paintings define the Rococo aesthetic in French art: soft luminous flesh, cascading draperies in rose and blue, and theatrical artificial landscape. They were produced largely for Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV's mistress and Boucher's greatest patron, who regarded him as...

Technical Analysis

The intimate composition presents mother and son with sensuous warmth. Boucher's handling of flesh tones creates a quintessentially Rococo image.

See It In Person

Gemäldegalerie Berlin

Berlin, Germany

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Quick Facts

Medium: Oil paint
Era: Rococo
Style: French Rococo
Genre: Mythology
Location: Gemäldegalerie Berlin, Berlin

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More by François Boucher

Are They Thinking about the Grape? (Pensent-ils au raisin?) by François Boucher

Are They Thinking about the Grape? (Pensent-ils au raisin?)

François Boucher·1747

Bathing Nymph by François Boucher

Bathing Nymph

François Boucher·c. 1745–50

Angelica and Medoro by François Boucher

Angelica and Medoro

François Boucher·1763

The Dispatch of the Messenger by François Boucher

The Dispatch of the Messenger

François Boucher·1765

More from the Rococo Period

Annunciation to the Shepherds by Jacopo Bassano

Annunciation to the Shepherds

Jacopo Bassano·c. 1710

The Madonna with the Seven Founders of the Servite Order by Agostino Masucci

The Madonna with the Seven Founders of the Servite Order

Agostino Masucci·c. 1728

Theodosius Repulsed from the Church by Saint Ambrose by Alessandro Magnasco

Theodosius Repulsed from the Church by Saint Ambrose

Alessandro Magnasco·c. 1705

Arcadian Landscape with Figures by Alessandro Magnasco

Arcadian Landscape with Figures

Alessandro Magnasco·c. 1700