Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist and Angels

Virgin and Child with the Young Saint John the Baptist and Angels (1765) is an unusually devotional subject for Boucher, who was primarily associated with secular and mythological themes. This late religious painting shows Boucher adapting his Rococo sensibility to sacred subject matter, creating a scene of tender, almost sentimental devotion. The work reflects the continuing demand for religious art even from painters known primarily for secular subjects.

Boucher applies his characteristic soft, luminous palette to the devotional subject. The Virgin's face is rendered with the same idealized beauty as his mythological figures, and the angels have the playful quality of his typical cupids.