Interior of a Barn with a Family of Coopers

In a rustic barn interior, François Boucher created an idyllic scene of country life. In the foreground, a man repairs barrels while a mother and child rest in the straw by his side. As the sun streams in through the open doorway and down through the loft at the rear of the building, long fingers of light create patterns on the dark floor. The backlighting gives the scene an added sense of serenity, while throwing the figures at the front into deeper shadow.

On a trip to Holland from around 1763 to 1766, Boucher studied Dutch landscape and genre scenes from the 1600s. Influenced by Dutch depictions of idyllic countrysides and interiors, the French artist produced a number of drawings of rural settings. Although most of these drawings have now been lost, scholars examining the records of Boucher's contemporary collectors have found various titles of similar works, such as Farmer's House in the Form of a Barn and An Interior of a Barn with Three Farmers and a Woman. This drawing therefore provides the only known record of Boucher's visit to the Netherlands.