The First Guard

Many of François Boucher's decorative designs were published as prints sometimes executed by the painter, etcher, and publisher-dealer Gabriel Huquier. Thus, both these artists played significant roles in the development and spread of the elaborate Rococo style. The First Guard-depicting a rustic band of young and old men who have temporarily shed their weapons to concentrate on a game of dice-typifies the sort of picturesque genre scene at which Boucher excelled. The artist displays his ingenuity by composing a pleasing arrangement of artfully posed figures and carefully placed objects.