BOUCHER, François
(b. 1703, Paris, d. 1770, Paris)

The Sleep of Venus

1754
Oil on canvas, 103 x 90 cm (oval)
Private collection

This depiction of Venus at rest was painted for the Marquise de Pompadour, the official mistress of King Louis XV, who was Boucher's most significant patron. The subject was treated several times by the painter, but the present version is the only example in a vertical format.