Galerie Dreyfus
4
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FRANÇOIS BOUCHER (PARIS, 1703 – PARIS, 1770)
The Mill
c.
See original version (French)
4
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FRANÇOIS BOUCHER (PARIS, 1703 – PARIS, 1770)
The Mill
c.
See original version (French)
Estimate €120,000 - €150,000
Voluntary lot
Description
FRANÇOIS BOUCHER
(PARIS, 1703 – PARIS, 1770)
The Mill
c. 1750
Oil on canvas
51.3 x 62.3 cm
Provenance
Private collection
Expert assessment
Alexis Bordes.
Visual examination.
Gilded and carved wooden frame decorated with shells, small flowers and pig’s tails.
Thanks to Mrs Françoise Joulie, who confirmed the authenticity of the work following a
With the tip of its gable rising in the centre of the composition, this watermill
stands out as the protagonist of this painting, relegating the few figures to the roles of
extras. Whilst the red patch of the washerwoman’s skirt is clearly visible in the foreground,
the child playing beside her is barely discernible, and even less so is the silhouette of the man
watching them, leaning on the bridge railing, overlooking the scene on the right. Here, everything subtly draws our attention
back to the mill’s waterwheel. Whilst the wheel is shown only partially, secured
to the side of the mill, the entire composition echoes its cylindrical shape. Starting
with the leaning tree, positioned in front of the wheel, which seems to complete its circle. Higher up,
the clouds part in a circular pattern to reveal a patch of blue sky. Finally, on the left, the tall,
slender trunks of the birch trees curve to follow the contours of this luminous sphere,
from which all the light in the painting emanates. The sun’s rays descend diagonally
to strike the ridge of the tiled roof, then the curved tree lying in front of the waterwheel and,
finally, a stretch of the river with its jetty, leaving the rest of the composition in
semi-darkness. There is thus a contrast between the warm, ochre and rosy hues of the areas bathed
in light and the cool, greenish and bluish colours of the vegetation, which still appears
wild. Following a pattern he often employed, François Boucher constructs his landscape
in a spiral that guides the eye along the path of his brush, alternating between bursts of light and areas
of shadow, in a quest for detail.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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