Description
François Boucher print, entitled La Bonne Aventure (The Fortune Teller), presents a pastoral scene combining palm reading, elegant figures and a richly detailed garden setting.
On the right, a fortune teller examines a young woman’s hand while her companion looks on. Other figures gather beside a fountain, surrounded by foliage, flowers and resting animals. Sculptural and architectural details enrich the background, giving the composition the theatrical character associated with Rococo imagery.
Fine engraved lines describe the folds of the clothing, the textures of the trees and the shaded recesses of the garden. Subtle touches of colour, including blue on some garments, enhance selected details.
The composition is known through Pierre-Alexandre Aveline’s engraving published in 1738. This example has a smaller plate size than the documented impressions of that plate and is offered as a reduced engraved version after Boucher, by an unidentified engraver. It bears no engraved title or artists’ names beneath the scene.
The impression is on Dutch laid paper manufactured by Dirk and Cornelis Blauw, with a double-cross watermark identified using the seller’s reference documentation. The paper and watermark add material interest for collectors of historic prints.
The precise printing date of this sheet has not been established. 1738 refers to the publication of the engraved model, rather than a confirmed date for this impression.
Details:
Title: La Bonne Aventure — The Fortune Teller.
Composition after François Boucher (1703–1770).
Engraver of this version: unidentified.
Medium: intaglio print with subtle colour highlights.
Lettering: no engraved title or artists’ names.
Paper: watermarked Dutch laid paper by Dirk and Cornelis Blauw.
Impression date: undetermined.
Sheet dimensions: 41.3 × 30.8 cm.
Plate mark dimensions: 29.2 × 20.3 cm.
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