Two Sleeping Children with Sheep
1758â63
Medium
Classification
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Purchased for the Museum by the Advisory Council
Accession Number
1921-6-247-6
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
In the opulent world of 18th-century France, Boucher (1703–1770) reigned as a master of Rococo, a style celebrated for its playful elegance, soft curves, and idyllic scenes of love, nature, and innocence. Created between 1758 and 1763, *Two Sleeping Children with Sheep exemplifies Boucher's fascination with pastoral harmony. As the favored artist of King Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompadour Boucher infused his works with a whimsical lightness, often drawing from mythology and rural reverie to evoke a dreamlike escape from courtly rigidity. This print captures two children in serene s...