Engraver:
Gilles Demarteau, Flemish, 1722-1776
After François Boucher, French, 1703-1770
Title: Venus Crowned by Love
Medium: Crayon-mannor on paper
Dimensions:
Sheet: 20.2 x 26.2 cm
Credit Line: Purchased, 1991
Object Number: NGI.20853
DescriptionGilles Demarteau was a specialist in the crayon manner. This printmaking technique was invented in the mid 1750s by J.C. François in order to mimic popular drawings in the rococo style. It involves rolling a roulette, a small spiked wheel, over an etching ground to give a crumbly dotted line, similar to a chalk line. Demarteau so refined the technique that his prints were often mistaken for the original red and black chalk drawings. He collaborated with Boucher during the last ten years of the artist's life.
Inscriptionsigned and dated in replica: Par Boucher 1er. Peintre du Roy./Gravée par Demarteau 1773