The Continence of Scipio
circa 1766-1767
Brown chalk, brown and grey wash, with touches of white picked out by pen, and black ink on paper
873-2-21
Bequeathed by Jean Marie de Silguy in 1864
H. 40,5 cm - L. 26 cm
This drawing is part of a set of studies for a Continence de Scipion ordered by Madame Geoffrin in 1766 on behalf of Count of King Stanislas-Auguste of Poland. The canvas was to adorn the great hall of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The King himself chose the subject, illustrating an important moral idea borrowed from Roman history and the Continence de Scipion was intended to symbolise magnanimity. Weakened by illness and annoyed by the intermediary’s interference, Boucher abandoned the order and it was taken up by Vien.
The Continence of Scipio
circa 1766-1767
Brown chalk, brown and grey wash, with touches of white picked out by pen, and black ink on paper
873-2-21
Bequeathed by Jean Marie de Silguy in 1864
H. 40,5 cm - L. 26 cm
This drawing is part of a set of studies for a Continence de Scipion ordered by Madame Geoffrin in 1766 on behalf of Count of King Stanislas-Auguste of Poland. The canvas was to adorn the great hall of the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The King himself chose the subject, illustrating an important moral idea borrowed from Roman history and the Continence de Scipion was intended to symbolise magnanimity. Weakened by illness and annoyed by the intermediary’s interference, Boucher abandoned the order and it was taken up by Vien.