Le Toucher (Touch) from the series Les Cinq Senses (The Five Senses)
1720â1770
Classification
figures
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt
Accession Number
1924-15-138
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
François Boucher’s “Le Toucher (Touch)” forms part of his series “Les Cinq Sens,” created sometime between 1720 and 1770. As one panel in a set exploring the five senses, the work invites viewers to consider how touch connects us to the world around us. Boucher, a leading French artist of the eighteenth century, often returned to themes of human experience and allegory, making this series a thoughtful reflection on perception during a period when such subjects were popular in decorative and fine art. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the piece arrived as a gift from Eleanor and S...