_Wool and Silk._ H. 11 _ft._ 9 _in._ W. 14 _ft._ 6 _in._ ]
THE ARMS OF FRANCE AND NAVARRE: _Two angels on clouds support the coat of arms before an ermine drape against a ground of fleur-de-lis on blue._
The angels are after Boucher, the only coat of arms in tapestry known to which Boucher has contributed. It is evidently one of several fleur-de-lis pieces listed in the accounts of Beauvais between 1735 and 1740 and may be the one made for the Parliament of Rouen in the latter year.[34]
It is an unusually rich and interesting armorial, the angels with their characteristic Boucher grace adding great beauty to the formal setting.
[Sidenote: Lent by _P. W. French & Company_.]
François Boucher (1703-1770) studied with Lemoyne and during that time painted scenery for the Opera, a work to which he returned in the height of his career (1737-44). In 1734 he became Academician. In 1735 he was appointed head of the Gobelins by Marigny. In 1765 he was made first painter to the king and Director of the Academy. In the years between 1740 and 1755 he painted many cartoons for the Beauvais tapestry works. Among his most famous tapestry suites are the _Loves of the Gods_, the _Chinese Hangings_, and the _Italian Fêtes_.
_Wool and Silk._ H. 4 _ft._ 11 _in._ W. 6 _ft._ 6 _in._ ]
THE FORTUNE-TELLER: _Two peasant girls seated on the ground by a fountain are having their fortune told by another girl. A naked baby clings to her skirts. From one side a goat looks on inquisitively. It is signed F. Boucher and dated._
[Sidenote: Illustrated: _Fénaille, L'Etat général des Tapisseries de la Manufacture des Gobelins, Dix-huitième Siècle_, 2me Partie, p. 238.]
This is one of a series of cartoons in small size made by Boucher for the Gobelins while he was director. They were very popular and have been woven a number of times.
The piece shows how remarkably the delicate gradations of tone, on which Boucher's essential quality depended, could be translated into the weave by the extraordinarily skillful craftsmen of the Gobelins.
As in all of Boucher's cartoons, the subject is only an occasion for his own charming decorative mannerisms. As a rendition of peasant life, it is interesting to contrast this cartoon with the honest literalness of Teniers (cf. Nos. 47-49).
