Around 1735 -1770 · Putti rococo, mythological childhood and princely portrait

François Boucher presents childhood between flesh and decor: putti, little Bacchus, angels, family children and young duke animate a rococo painting based on movement, color and fantasy.

First painter to Louis XV, François Boucher designed paintings, drawings, decorations and tapestry models for a Rococo culture where the child took multiple forms. Winged putti populate clouds, allegories and pastoral; their round bodies, their lively gestures and their games ensure the movement of the composition. In mythological stories, Bacchus as a child is entrusted to the nymphs and transforms the protection into sensual theater. The Virgin and Child and the angels adapt this decorative grace to the religious subject. The Virgin and Child and the angels adapt this decorative grace to the religious subject. The Virgin and Child and the angels adapt this decorative grace to the religious subject. The Virgin and Child and the angels adapt this decorative grace to the religious subject. The Virgin and Child and the angels adapt this decorative grace to the religious subject. The Boucher also paints real children, like the Duke of Montpensier, whose portrait must reconcile age, rank and charm. The childish motif thus passes without breaking the sacred mythological, from portrait to decor. The "Children of François Boucher" selection notably compares Woman and Children and Mercury entrusting the child Bacchus to the nymphs of Nysa. His reading favors the story.

Butcher makes the child a force of movement: wing, arms, drapery and gaze animate the surface even before the story is identified.