Artwork Page for Pollard Willow

Details / Information for Pollard Willow

Pollard Willow

after 1804

Pierre Jean Boquet

(French, 1751–1817)
Culture
France, 19th century
Medium
oil on paper, mounted on canvas
Measurements
Unframed: 29.6 x 26.8 cm (11 5/8 x 10 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Bequest of Noah L. Butkin 1980.237
Public Domain
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Location
202 French Neoclassical Decorative Arts
Print

Description

Little is known about Boquet's life, and his artistic origins remain obscure. His style and technique suggest that he received formal training, but where and with whom is unclear. An inscription on a painting attributed to Boquet implies that he spent time in Rome, where he would have seen works by 17th-century French artists such as Claude Lorrain. This may explain the gentle, bucolic atmosphere and the warm, golden light in Pollard Willow, characteristics of which recall the paintings of Lorrain and his contemporaries. The severe pruning or pollarding of trees, especially willows, was a common practice before the Industrial Revolution (about 1750–1850). The procedure allowed the tree to produce large numbers of shoots, which were used in basketry, fence construction, and as fodder for farm animals.
A vertically oriented oil painting with textured brushstrokes depicts a gnarled willow tree in our left foreground, its split trunk sprouting thin green branches. In the middle ground, a brown cow rests and others graze in an expansive green field. On our right, a man with light skin tone and a dark hat sits on a stone bench. Beyond, rolling green hills rise under a pale, cloudy sky.

Pollard Willow

after 1804

Pierre Jean Boquet

(French, 1751–1817)
France, 19th century

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