Frontispiece with litte boy holding a basket, from Premier Livre de Figures d'après les porcelaines de la Manufacture Royale de France, inventées en 1757, par Mr. Boucher (First Book of Figures after porcelains from the Manufacture Royale de France, devised in 1757, by Mr. Boucher) 1757

Pierre Etienne Falconet created this print titled ‘Frontispiece with little boy holding a basket’ after porcelains by Boucher. Notice the striking contrast between the delicate rendering of the figure and the rougher treatment of the landscape. Falconet has arranged the elements of the composition to draw our eye through the image. The boy, placed slightly off-center, is balanced by the gnarled tree to the left. His outstretched arm and tilted posture create a dynamic line that leads us to the small porcelain objects on the basket, the product of the Manufacture Royale de France. The print functions as a kind of advertisement. Yet, it transcends mere marketing through its embrace of Rococo aesthetics—an interest in asymmetry, playful themes, and an overall sense of lightness. Falconet uses line and form to elevate what would otherwise be a commercial image into a work of art, inviting us to see the cultural and aesthetic values embedded in these objects.