Le reveil
Medium
etching and engraving
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Widener Collection
Accession Number
1942.9.2242
Art Historical Context
**Le Réveil (The Awakening)**, 1765, is a delicate etching and engraving by Pierre Charles Levesque, reproducing a composition by the celebrated Rococo master François Boucher. Boucher, a leading painter at the court of Louis XV was renowned for his playful, sensual depictions of mythological and pastoral scenes, often featuring graceful female figures amid lush, ornate settings. This print likely captures an intimate moment of awakening, embodying the Rococo era's emphasis on elegance, leisure, and erotic charm during mid-18th-century France. The medium of etching and engraving was pivotal i...