The Seasons

(Jackie A) I’d suggested this series of paintings to Genest but missed the ebay auction of the first one to be cut (491pc Winter, in December 2022). Genest brought me Autumn in February 2023 at the BCD House Party – I don’t know if he ever cut Spring & Summer. The jigsaw has the roughly oval shape of a ginger jar and has a repetitive, interrupted edge cut. Although the pieces interlock, there is a lot of play in the curves, so it is difficult to know if edge sections really fit together. The interior is an extreme line-cut with dark areas of foliage, and unusually there is no snail whimsy. I don’t think it was cut as a stack.

The four shaped paintings of this series were painted by Francois Boucher as overdoor panels for Louis XV's mistress, Madame de Pompadour, in 1755. Later they were extended into rectangular works but were returned to their original shape for display at the Frick Museum, New York.

Artist: Boucher
Date: 2022-3
Brand: Le Colimacon
Material: plywood
Nationality: French
Pieces: 669
Size: Oval c16 x 11in
Theme: France, 18thC, Pastoral, Seasons
Title: Autumn