Who painted Figure Studies including Seated Mother and Child?

Figure Studies including Seated Mother and Child was painted by François Boucher in 1735.

Where can I see Figure Studies including Seated Mother and Child?

Figure Studies including Seated Mother and Child is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Figure Studies including Seated Mother and Child?

Figure Studies including Seated Mother and Child is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

Figure Studies including Seated Mother and Child

François Boucher , 1735

Figure Studies including Seated Mother and Child is an ink print by the Baroque artist François Boucher. It dates from 1735 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1735, the work titled *Figure Studies including Seated Mother and Child* is an etching on laid paper by the French artist François Boucher. Executed during the height of the Rococo period, the piece presents a small group of figures rendered in swift, expressive lines that emphasize gesture and the play of drapery.

Subject & Meaning

The composition depicts four women in a loosely defined landscape. A standing figure on the left gazes downward, while a central seated mother cradles an infant, her robe billowing around her legs. Two additional women flank the scene, one with crossed arms and the other hand on her hip, suggesting a casual, intimate moment rather than a narrative episode.

Technique & Style

Boucher employed the etching process to achieve delicate, spontaneous marks on laid paper, allowing the ink to capture the fluidity of fabric and the subtle shifts of posture. The quick, gestural lines convey a sense of movement, particularly in the swirling drapery that surrounds the seated figure, a hallmark of the artist’s Rococo sensibility.

History & Provenance

As an example of Boucher’s printmaking, the etching illustrates his proficiency in drawing and his contribution to the decorative arts of eighteenth‑century France. While the original ownership record is limited, the work is documented as part of Boucher’s broader output of allegorical and pastoral studies that circulated among collectors of the period.