François Lemoyne
French, 1688–1737
The Amorous Proposal
c. 1725
A young woman, cooling herself with a damp handkerchief, is surprised by an older man wearing heavy, fur-lined clothes. He seems to be asking her a question, sometimes interpreted as a proposal, but the painting's precise subject remains unclear. Lemoyne set up distinct contrasts of texture, color, and light, which could be appreciated from a distance. The elongated shape and slight forward tilt of the figures suggest that the painting was intended to be viewed from below, perhaps originally installed over a door in a domestic interior.
| Medium | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 39 x 57 in. (99.1 x 144.8 cm) |
| Object Number | 1985.54 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by the Clark, 1985 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
François Lemoyne, The Amorous Proposal, c. 1725, oil on canvas. Clark Art Institute, Acquired by the Clark, 1985.54
Select Bibliography
London: Royal Academy.. European Masters of the 18th Century.. 1954-55..
Lovett, Jennifer Gordon. A Glimpse of Rococo France: The Amorous Proposal by François Le Moyne. Exhibition brochure. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1987.
Bordeaux, Jean-Luc. François Le Moyne and His Generation 1688-1737. Paris: Athena. 1984.:no. 55, pp. 101-102, repr. fig. 55.
Kern, Steven, ed. List of Paintings in the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1992.
Lovell, Margaretta M. "Mrs. Sargent, Mr. Copley, and the Empirical Eye". Winterthur Portfolio 33, no. 1 (Spring 1998): 1–39.
Lovell, Margaretta M. Art in a Season of Revolution: Painters, Artisans, and Patrons in Early America. University of Pannsylvania Press. 2005:p. 72 fig. 30.
