François Boucher (Paris, 1703 - 1770, Paris)
The Chariot of Venus, about 1750
Oil on canvas, 88 x 70 cm (34 5/8 x 27 9/16 in.)
This vertical oil on canvas painting depicts cherubs, a chariot, and birds in a blue sky above the clouds. The background of the painting is a pale blue sky that grows gradually darker the further up the painting you go. Gray clouds gather along the bottom corners of the scene, and to our right. Among the clouds are seven light-skinned, naked cherubs. They have blonde hair, chubby red cheeks, and silver wings. Two angels are flying in the sky to our left. Another one is flying, but closer to the other four who are laying on the clouds to our right. Two of the angels in the clouds are holding flower garlands. There are two white doves flying in the bottom left. To our right, above the cherubs and resting on the clouds, are two white geese on a gold chariot. The chariot has pink fabric flowing over it that flows up to the upper right corner of the painting.
Little Salon
Commentary
Painter to King Louis XV, François Boucher defined artistic tastes at the French court. He is best known for mythological paintings like this one, the compositions of which reached audiences far and wide through tapestry, porcelain, and print.
Gardner purchased this painting from Wildenstein and Co., venerable dealers of French art. She paid a fraction of the price of her most expensive Italian paintings. Gardner collected few Rococo works; perhaps she sought to fill the void in her collection with this one. It was installed in the Little Salon by 1912, along with a second painting of similar style and an embroidery made from Boucher’s designs, an apparent homage to the French master.
Gardner purchased this painting from Wildenstein and Co., venerable dealers of French art. She paid a fraction of the price of her most expensive Italian paintings. Gardner collected few Rococo works; perhaps she sought to fill the void in her collection with this one. It was installed in the Little Salon by 1912, along with a second painting of similar style and an embroidery made from Boucher’s designs, an apparent homage to the French master.