The Footbridge

Artist François Boucher (French, 1703-1770)

Place of OriginFrance

Date1760

DimensionsH: 19 7/8 (50.5 cm); W: 24 in. (61 cm)

MediumOil on canvas

ClassificationPaintings

Credit LineGift of Mrs. C. Lockhart McKelvy

Object number

1957.38

Not on View

Label TextThe rustic charm of an idealized pastoral existence is portrayed in this intimate painting. François Boucher was likely inspired by the picturesque countryside around the junction of the Seine and Marne rivers—a popular destination for city-weary Parisian aristocrats looking for more idyllic surroundings. When Boucher painted The Footbridge he had been working for Louis XV (ruled 1715–74) and the king’s powerful mistress Madame de Pompadour for 34 years. He had been appointed director of the Gobelins tapestry manufactory and in a few years was to be named “first painter” to the king.Published ReferencesToledo Museum of Art, The Toledo Museum of Art, European Paintings, Toledo, 1976, p. 28, pl. 202.

Ananoff, Alexandre, François Boucher, Lausanne, 1976, p. 201, no. 531, repr. fig. 1469.

Anaoff, Alexandre, L'opera completa di Boucher, Milan, 1980, no. 559, p. 131, repr. p. 130.

Rand, Richard, "Recent Acquisitions (1994-2005) at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute," Burlington, vol. 147, no. 1225, Apr. 2005, p. 296.

Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, The Collection of Mrs. C. Lockhart McKelvy, 1964, p. 6, repr. p. 7.

Bordeaux, Musées de Bordeaux, La peinture française: collections américaines, 1966, no. 22, pl. 23.