Eighteenth Century France was a country in the midst of social and economic upheaval that led to cultural and artistic changes. It was a period when French artists reached new heights of technical achievement, particularly in the area of draftsmanship, and is considered the “golden age” of drawing in France. Many artists, including the well-known Boucher and Fragonard, but also lesser-known painters, concentrated on drawing rather than painting and achieved success on the basis of their drawings alone. This change opened up the market for works on paper in a way that had not existed before.
Though seen as a progressive period in the history of drawing, Eighteenth Century French drawing was still bound to the hierarchy of genres that was established by the French Academie de peinture et de sculpture. At the top of the list was history, including narrative religious, mythological and allegorical subjects; portrait and genre painting came next, including scenes of everyday life; followed by landscape, animal subjects, and lastly, still life.
Within this hierarchy, artists pursued new drawing media and depiction of subjects, integrating a sensitive observation of the world with their technical proficiency. Watteau’s trois-crayons technique, literally the use of three chalks (red, black and white) is an example of a new drawing technique and was widely copied and used by other artists.
A recent resurgence of interest in French drawing is shining the spotlight on the L’age dorée of French art. We are pleased to be offering several fine examples of 18th Century French drawings in our May 18th Fine Sale.
LOT 656: FRENCH SCHOOL: FEMME DANS LE JARDIN
Estimate: $800 – $1,200
LOT 657: FRENCH SCHOOL: VISAGE DE FEMME
Estimate: $600 – $800
LOT 658: STYLE OF FRANCOIS BOUCHER (1703-1770): FEMME ET ENFANT AVEC RAISINS
LOT 659: ATTRIBUTED TO CHARLES JOSEPH NATOIRE (1700-1777): NYMPHE AU BAIN
Estimate: $700 – $900
LOT 661: FRENCH SCHOOL: OFFRANDE À L’AMOUR
Estimate: $400 – $600