Trompe l'Oeil
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.In a treatise published in 1781, Liotard firmly stated his belief in the supreme mimetic power of painting. His deceptive imitation of two chipped plaster reliefs “proves” that a painter can convincingly reproduce the appearance of sculpture (whereas a sculptor cannot reproduce the appearance of painting). Significantly, the imagery of the reliefs is derived from paintings, both by François Boucher. Liotard’s simulations of screws made of two different metals, the colored chalks of his two costume sketches, torn and crumpled paper, sealing wax, and pine are equally persuasive. The artist’s professional pride is captured in the seemingly casual signature and date “written” at the top of the faux panel.
Artwork Details
- Title: Trompe l'Oeil
- Artist: Jean Etienne Liotard (Swiss, Geneva 1702–1789 Geneva)
- Date: 1771
- Medium: Oil on silk transferred to canvas
- Dimensions: 9 3/8 × 12 3/4 in. (23.8 × 32.4 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: The Frick Collection, New York, Bequeathed by Lore Heinemann in memory of her husband, Dr. Rudolph J. Heinemann, 1997
- Rights and Reproduction: © The Frick Collection
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art