Reclining Girl

Reclining Girl (1752), in the Bavarian State Painting Collections, is a provocative image of a young woman lying face-down on a daybed. The painting, possibly depicting Boucher's teenage model Marie-Louise O'Murphy (who would become a mistress of Louis XV), is one of the most frankly erotic images in eighteenth-century French painting. The absence of mythological pretense — no Diana, no Venus, just a naked girl on a bed — pushes beyond Rococo convention into territory that would later be explored by Ingres and Manet.

The painting showcases François Boucher's decorative elegance, with pastel palette lending the work its distinctive character. The palette and brushwork are calibrated to serve the subject matter, demonstrating the technical command expected of a work from this period.