Painting The Fountain Of Truth

Very beautiful copy from the 18th century made after the engraving made by Gaillard for the Count of Coigny. The original painting by François Boucher, painted in 1748 and now kept in Melbourne, is painted in the other direction, which shows that our painter executed it after Gaillard's engraving, which was very common in the time. What is more surprising is the scrupulous respect for the colors of the original which would tend to prove that our painter saw and analyzed Boucher's painting. The Melbourne Museum notice tells us: “A young boy teaches a shepherdess to play the flute, the love story seems to have progressed well. Not only are the couple much closer physically to each other, but the raised-headed marble lion in the background and the goat in the foreground looking directly at the viewer both indicate mature sexuality and a burning desire. The young man puts a flute in the shepherdess's mouth, while she firmly grasps the stick which descends from her waist. The erotic connotations of this scene are evident and are further confirmed by the woven basket on the right side of the image which is about to tip over and spill the precious flowers it contains. »