Reclining Girl
by François Boucher, 1752
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1752
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 59 cm × 73 cm
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French painter François Boucher painted this sensual nude in 1751, showing a young woman lying face-down on a daybed. Her rosy flesh tones stand out against blue and gold fabrics while she gazes away from the viewer with a dreamy expression. The composition dispenses with any mythological excuse for depicting nudity.
The model is believed to be Marie-Louise O'Murphy, a young Irish woman who was about 14 or 15 when Boucher discovered her and began using her as a model. According to legend, when Louis XV saw this painting, he demanded to meet the girl. She became one of his mistresses soon after.
Boucher painted two versions of this composition. The 1751 version is in Cologne at the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, while the 1752 version hangs at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. Both epitomize the playful eroticism of Rococo art.
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About Reclining Girl
The 1752 version is at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. An earlier 1751 version hangs in Cologne's Wallraf-Richartz Museum.
François Boucher created this work in 1751-52. He was a leading painter of the Rococo style and a favorite of Madame de Pompadour.
The model is thought to be Marie-Louise O'Murphy, who later became a mistress of Louis XV. Legend says the king saw this painting and demanded to meet the model depicted in it.
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