François Boucher and the Art of Collecting in Eighteenth-Century France

More than any other artist of his generation, François Boucher is associated with the consumption of luxury goods in eighteenth-century France. His works are filled with desirable items that communicate not only the wealth and status of his aristocratic patrons, but also the types of objects that informed the tastes of modern collectors. What is less known is that Boucher was a prolific collector of art and nature, with a variety of more than 13,000 objects in his possession at the time of his death in 1770. His collection, which was celebrated by his peers for its unique arrangement, was displayed in his studio at the Louvre, the same space where he created some of his finest works of art. François Boucher: Artist, Collector & Connoisseur represents the first critical analysis of Boucher’s collection. Drawing on period sale catalogues, inventories, memoirs and journals, this book traces the history of the collection, examining the types of objects Boucher collected and the avenues and sequences through which he acquired them. It also explores the role these objects played in the development of his artistic practice and the extent to which his paintings and imagery shaped the market for luxury goods and naturalia during this period. This monograph is an important addition to existing scholarship on Boucher and will appeal more broadly to those interested in eighteenth-century visual and material culture.