The Coquette - François Boucher

An 18th-century engraving by Jean Daullé after a design by François Boucher, depicting a woman in the refined Rococo style.

This engraving, titled La Coquette, is based on a drawing by the French painter François Boucher and executed by the engraver Jean Daullé in 1758. The work captures the aesthetic sensibilities of the mid-eighteenth-century French Rococo period, focusing on a subject defined by grace, artifice, and the playful social conventions of the era. The figure is depicted in a half-length pose, her gaze directed away from the viewer, which contributes to the sense of detached elegance common in Boucher's depictions of women. The technical execution by Daullé demonstrates the precision of mid-century printmaking. The use of varied line weights and cross-hatching creates a sense of volume in the fabric of the subject's clothing and the soft contours of her face. The inclusion of a beauty patch, or mouche, on her cheek is a specific detail that identifies her as a coquette, a character type frequently explored in the literature and visual arts of the period. The framing device, rendered with linear precision, provides a structured boundary that contrasts with the softer, more fluid rendering of the figure herself. Boucher was a central figure in the development of the Rococo style, known for his work as a painter, draughtsman, and designer for the Gobelins tapestry manufactory. His influence extended through the widespread distribution of prints after his designs, which allowed his compositions to reach a broad audience across Europe. This particular print serves as a record of the collaborative relationship between the painter and the professional engraver, a common practice in the eighteenth century to disseminate popular imagery. The work remains a clear example of the period's preoccupation with refined manners and the theatricality of daily life in the French courtly and bourgeois circles.