The teapot is decorated in the famille rose palette depicting a richly dressed man presenting a garland of flowers to a young shepherdess next to an architectural ruin, after François Boucher. At his feet lie three sheep, along with his hat, cane, and a bouquet of flowers. In contrast, the man who was originally depicted spying on the couple behind the architecture in the original engraving has been omitted. A garland of flowers is painted around the rim of the teapot’s body and on the lid.
For a plate with this design, see François et Nicolas Hervouët, La porcelaine des Compagnie des Indes à décor occidental, sujets littéraires, anecdotiques, satiriques et historiques, 1986, p. 166, no. 7.74.
This decoration, listed in Hervouet as “Les amours pastorales,” is based on an engraving by François Boucher entitled “Le pasteur galant.” This work serves as a pendant to ‘Pasteur complaisant’. Both prints were engraved after the decorations of the Hôtel Soubise adorning the alcove of the princess and were painted around 1738. François Boucher’s work was engraved in 1742 by André Laurent (1708-1747).
The theme of “pastoral” evokes an important reference in painting and literature since the 16th century: the depiction of an idealized rural world. “L’Astrée,” a novel by Honoré d’Urfé published from 1607 to 1627, is one of the most famous representatives of this genre. It narrates the tumultuous love story of shepherds Astrée and Céladon in 5th-century Gaul. The painter François Boucher fits into this tradition by creating the gallant model of a romantic couple of shepherds, richly dressed, set within a bucolic landscape.
The eighteenth century in France is characterized by a profound interest in nature, hedonism, and bucolic literature. The works of poets such as Theocritus and Virgil significantly influence this return to nature. The pastoral genre emerges as a symbolic refuge during a time of social and political upheaval. Boucher’s pastoral scenes are often arranged in an asymmetrical yet balanced manner, employing diagonals to create a sense of movement.
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