Andromeda (Andromède)

Late in life Boucher became Louis XV’s premier painter, but he began his career working as an etcher, tasked with reproducing drawings by other artists. Boucher’s effortless etching style is a testament to his excellent draftsmanship, a skill that served him well not only as a painter but as a designer of tapestries, ceramic figurines, and other decorative goods. Here, in one of his own compositions, Boucher portrays the climax of the Greek myth when Perseus swoops in to rescue the princess Andromeda, who was chained to a rock cliff as a sacrifice to the sea monster Cetus.

A vertically oriented print in black ink depicts Andromeda, a nude woman with light skin tone, chained to a rock on our right. She looks down toward a sea monster rising from waves on our left. Above, Perseus, a man with light skin tone and a winged helmet, flies toward our right with a sword and shield. Fine hatching creates texture throughout the swirling clouds and water. A signature appears at the bottom left.

Andromeda (Andromède)

1734

François Boucher

(French, 1703–1770)

France, 18th century

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