ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the renovation of Boucher's studio at the Louvre, which ushered in a new era in the relationship between his artistic and collecting practices. Bringing together supporting visual and written material, including floor plans, invoices, and first-hand accounts of visitors to the Louvre, this chapter considers Boucher's redesign of the studio as a bespoke workspace and staging area for his collection. It explores several influencing factors in the renovation of the studio, including Boucher's work for Madame de Pompadour at the Château de Bellevue and his experience as a theater designer, which trained him in the construction of both real and illusionary space outside of the two-dimensional painted realm. This analysis unearths a connection between these events and the reconfiguration of pictorial space in works executed for Pompadour during and after the renovation. The chapter concludes with an examination of the display of objects in the Grand Atelier, the central room in the studio where Boucher demonstrated his twin personas as an epicurean collector and a contemporary artist painting for and about the luxury market.
