Chinese bediende, zittend in een tuin c. 1731

Francois Boucher created this print, "Chinese bediende, zittend in een tuin," using etching. Here we see the vogue for Chinoiserie that swept France in the 18th century. This etching presents a distinctly European fantasy of China. The woman, presumably the "Chinese servant" of the title, is adorned in exoticized garb and placed in a garden replete with pagodas, which conflates Chinese culture with decorative motifs popular among the French elite. This idealized vision served more to reflect French tastes and colonial ambitions than to offer an accurate representation of Chinese society. The image creates meaning through visual codes and cultural references, embodying the orientalist perception prevalent at the time. By examining sources such as period travelogues, trade records, and decorative arts, we gain a better understanding of the context in which this image was made and the cultural dynamics it reflects. Understanding art is contingent on the social and institutional context in which it was created and viewed.