.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Chinoiseries became fashionable under the reign of Louis XIV, and reached their peak between 1740 and 1760 with the Rococo style. Born from European fascination for Asia in general, which included China but also Japan, South-East Asia, India and even Persia, it combined authentic Chinese elements likely derived from illustrations of travel books and imported objects to create a seemingly authentic realistic portrayal of China. In this instance the scene on the cover, reminiscent of Boucher’s Jardin Chinois, uses everyday elements of Chinese life while the features of the central figure remains European.
François Boucher's (1703-1770) enthusiasm for Eastern culture is evidenced by his vast collection of oriental objects sold at auction in 1771 by the dealer Pierre Rémy (1715-1797). These fed his imagination and inspired him to define the canons of Rococo chinoiserie decoration, not only in France but throughout Europe. His work had an considerable influence on all the decorative and fine arts.
Jean Ducrollay (1709-1761) was a contemporary of Boucher. Both were some of the most celebrated artists of their time. They were regularly commissioned by the King’s court, their names frequently appearing in the accounts of the Menus Plaisirs. Ducrollay may have known Boucher, and he was certainly familiar with his work, often using his designs on his snuff-boxes, such as on the present lot and for a snuff-box also dated 1754-55, enamelled by Le Sueur with domestic scenes after Boucher. Another dated 1759-60 he set with panels of Sévres porcelain painted with putti after Boucher. Both boxes are in the Wallace Collection, London, illustrated in C. Truman, The Wallace Collection, Catalogue of Gold Boxes, London, 2013, pp. 83-85, no. 10 and pp. 123-125, no. 24).