The Prado in Madrid has taken an important step in enriching its collection of Rococo painting with the acquisition of two exceptional works by French painter François Boucher (Paris, 1703 - 1770): The Birth of Adonis and The Death of Adonis. These paintings constitute a unique document of the artist’s early career and offer valuable insight into his stylistic and thematic development in the 18th-century European context.
The acquisition, with a total value of 2.2 million euros, was made possible by a generous bequest from Juan José Luna Fernández, a central figure in the study of French painting at the Prado, who died in 2020. Luna had donated his own home in Madrid to the museum, which was auctioned off for 3.2 million euros in 2021, with part of the proceeds going toward increasing the museum’s collections.
With the entry of these two works, the Prado expands its representation of Boucher, already present in the collection with a key painting from the artist’s maturity, Pan and Syrinx, acquired in 1985 also thanks to Luna’s interest. The new acquisitions thus allow a more complete view of Boucher’s career, from his beginnings to his full maturity, and enrich the section devoted to the myth of Adonis, already addressed by artists such as Titian, Veronese and Carracci.
The Birth of Adonis and The Death of Adonis reveal Boucher’s astonishing technical facility and narrative talent, influenced by Antoine Watteau and Sebastiano Ricci at a key moment in his development, after he had been awarded the “Prix de Rome” and stayed in Italy between 1727 and 1731. Both works were made on a single roll of canvas, and recent radiography has revealed numerous pentimenti, which testify to the artist’s creative process. The signature, made more visible by conservation, further confirms the authenticity of the canvases.
The myth of Adonis was recurrent in Rococo painting because of its dramatic richness and its ability to integrate erotic, amorous and tragic elements within pastoral settings characterized by great chromatic delicacy. Boucher approaches the theme with originality: in Birth, the artist depicts the myth from its beginning, with the transformation of Myrrh into a tree, while in Death he develops the scene of the tragic separation from Venus, mortally wounded by a boar.
Throughout the centuries, the two works have been part of prestigious collections, including that of the merchant Louis-François Mettra on behalf of Empress Catherine II of Russia, testifying to the historical and artistic value of the canvases. Their entry into the Prado, thanks to the bequest of Juan José Luna Fernández, represents not only a recognition of the collector’s figure, but also a significant expansion of the museum’s collection of French paintings, allowing visitors to fully appreciate the complexity and refinement of the young Boucher.
To mark the acquisition, the Prado is promoting further insights into the painter through cultural and educational initiatives. These include a lecture by Boucher’s leading expert, Françoise Joulie, scheduled for Nov. 12 in the museum’s auditorium, who will offer a detailed analysis of the works and the artistic context in which they were created.
The admission of the two works thus marks an important moment in the enhancement of the Prado’s Rococo heritage, allowing the public to explore the origins of one of the great storytellers of the 18th century, to appreciate his technical mastery, and to learn more about the fortunes of the Adonis myth in European painting. The legacy of Juan José Luna Fernández is thus confirmed as a decisive contribution to culture, testifying to how the commitment of a single enthusiast can leave a lasting mark on the preservation and interpretation of historical art.
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| Madrid, Prado acquires two early masterpieces by François Boucher |
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