Old Comrades

Original Wiehler needlepoint set, consisting of counting pattern, thread, fabric and an embroidery needle, 
inspired by Francois Boucher (1703-1770)
picture, approx. 60 x 75 cm, 52 colors, 9 stitches/1 cm, Gobelin stich

The works of the French painter François Boucher are representative of the art under Louis XV and Madame Pompadour. Boucher not only produced paintings and drawings, but also provided designs for the tapestry manufactory of Beauvais, thus influencing the entire decorative art of his time. When Boucher was accepted as a history painter at the Paris Academy in 1731, his career as an artist, crowned with success, began: in 1742 he was appointed decorator of the Paris Opera, in 1755 he took over the supervision of the tapestry manufactory, in 1761 he became rector of the Academy and four years later Louis XV appointed him as the first court painter. The female body was one of his favourite subjects and in connection with this the excellent reproduction of fabric and clothing.