Putti with a basket of flowers

Art Historical Context

François Boucher’s “Putti with a Basket of Flowers” captures the playful spirit of eighteenth-century French Rococo art. As a leading painter at the court of Louis XV, Boucher specialized in lighthearted, decorative scenes that celebrated nature, youth, and sensual pleasure. Here, chubby putti—cherubic figures drawn from classical mythology—gather around a woven basket overflowing with blossoms, their soft forms and rosy cheeks rendered with the delicate brushwork and luminous palette typical of oil on canvas. The painting’s modest scale and classification as a decorative work suggest it may ...

About the Artist

François Boucher|French Painter · 1703–1770

François Boucher (1703–1770) stands as the quintessential master of French Rococo painting and the most celebrated decorative artist of the 18th century. Born in Paris to a lace designer, Boucher created a visual language that perfectly embodied the refined taste, sensuality, and elegance of Louis XV's court. His prolific output—encompassing paintings, tapestry designs, theatrical sets, and decora...