Chinese vrouw van het keizerlijk paleis, zittend op een bank c. 1731

Francois Boucher made this drawing of a Chinese woman of the imperial palace sitting on a bench sometime in the 18th century. Boucher, as a European artist, was working within a cultural context of what was known as "chinoiserie" at the time. This movement saw European artists and designers appropriating and reinterpreting Chinese motifs, often through a lens of Western ideals and fantasies. In this drawing, the woman's attire and the surrounding scenery reflect a romanticized view of the East rather than an accurate portrayal. The image is filled with a sense of exoticism, one that catered to European tastes but often lacked genuine understanding. It presents a vision of Chinese culture filtered through the artist’s imagination. The emotional tension in this image comes from knowing that the artist does not depict Chinese identity or lived experience, but produces an image that caters to European tastes and fantasies.