| In this master's thesis, I reexamine the Chinoiserie of the French Rococo artist Francois Boucher (1703-1770). First, I discuss the French concept of China during the first half of the eighteenth century. Second, I analyze how Boucher's Chinese collection and interests in the Far East informed his art and his Chinoiserie. Finally, I scrutinize Boucher's Chinoiserie designs, focusing on his tapestry sketches.;My argument is that Boucher's Chinoiserie has been characterized by contemporary art historians as a masquerade of a fete galante, strewn with miscellaneous Chinese pieces. However, through my investigation, I find Boucher's Chinoiserie laden with many authentic details, rendering a relatively convincing effect, especially in comparison with contemporaneous Chinoiserie works, illustrations in travelogues on China, and imported Chinese porcelain pieces, which made his work distinctive in the period. |
