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Lot Essay
Drawn in preparation for Boucher's painting of The Blonde Odalisque now in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich, dated 1752 (A. Laing et al., op. cit., 1986-1987, no. 61). Alastair Laing has confirmed the attribution to Boucher on studying the drawing in the original, and suggests that it may be Boucher's life drawing for the painting. This suggestion is supported by the simplicity of the setting, since in place of the elaborate draperies and patterned upholstery of the picture Boucher has suggested firm cushions arranged to allow the studio model to pose with some degree of comfort. The distinction is particularly apparent on comparison with Boucher's study for The Dark Odalisque of 1743, now in the Louvre (A. Laing et al., op. cit., 1986-1987, no. 48), in which the posed model is clearly displayed with aesthetic values rather than physical realities foremost (now in the Horvitz Collection; A. Laing, op. cit., 2003, no. 29).
The identification of the model for The Blond Odalisque has long been the source of much comment, unsurprising given the heady combination of realism and eroticism in the present drawing. Since the beginning of the 20th Century the Munich painting and The Dark Odalisque have been associated with the notorious sisters Louise and Victoire O'Murphy, daughters of Irish adventurers living in Paris, the former afterwards mistress to King Louis XV, whose reputation comes down to us with some colour through Casanova's memoirs and those of others who frequented court circles in the period. The model of the present drawing may well have gone on to become mistress to the King, but as Alastair Laing has shown through careful analysis of the sources she would almost certainly only have held that position briefly before the much enduring encumbancy of Louise O'Murphy (A. Laing et al., op. cit., 1986-1987, pp. 258-263).
The identification of the model for The Blond Odalisque has long been the source of much comment, unsurprising given the heady combination of realism and eroticism in the present drawing. Since the beginning of the 20th Century the Munich painting and The Dark Odalisque have been associated with the notorious sisters Louise and Victoire O'Murphy, daughters of Irish adventurers living in Paris, the former afterwards mistress to King Louis XV, whose reputation comes down to us with some colour through Casanova's memoirs and those of others who frequented court circles in the period. The model of the present drawing may well have gone on to become mistress to the King, but as Alastair Laing has shown through careful analysis of the sources she would almost certainly only have held that position briefly before the much enduring encumbancy of Louise O'Murphy (A. Laing et al., op. cit., 1986-1987, pp. 258-263).