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In an Arcadian landscape a shepherd plays the flute to a shepherdess who is about to repay his efforts with a crown of flowers and the reward of her affections. Boucher took his inspiration from the immensely popular pantomimes of Charles-Simon Favart. At the opéra comique, where Boucher was both set designer and a keen member of the audience, Favart’s musical dramas combined Arcadian idealism and aristocratic sensibilities with the rustic characters of popular theatre. This painting appears to illustrate scene V of Favart’s Les Vendanges de Tempé (The Harvest in the Vale of Tempe) of 1745, which opens with the Little Shepherd playing the flute to his sweetheart Lisette. It was probably painted c.1747–1750 in the aftermath of Favart’s stage success.
Title
Shepherd Piping to a Shepherdess
Date
c.1747–1750
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 94 x W 142 cm
Accession number
P399
Acquisition method
acquired by Richard Seymour-Conway, 4th Marquess of Hertford c.1865–1869; bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace, 1897
Work type
Painting
The Wallace Collection
Hertford House, Manchester Square, London, Greater London W1U 3BN England
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