Cleveland Museum of Art

The Presentation in the Temple

François Boucher

Date

c. 1770

Medium

pen and brown ink, brush and brown wash, and black chalk, heightened with white paint; framing lines in pen and brown ink

Culture

France, 18th century

Department

Drawings

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Late in his career, François Boucher adopted a drawing style characterized by strong pen lines and loosely brushed washes. This sheet, which dates from that period, depicts the blind priest Simeon, at left, who was promised that he would see the Messiah before his death. When the Christ child was brought into the temple near him, Simeon regained his sight. Boucher emphasized the miraculous event by showing divine light streaming down onto the priest from the dove above, which represents the Holy Spirit. The drawing is similar to an oil sketch (Louvre, Paris) that Boucher completed during the last year of his life -- one of the very last projects he ever completed. This drawing was probably a sketch for an oil painting that Boucher was unable to complete before his death.

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