Trois crayons (French: [tʁwɑ kʁɛjɔ̃]; English: "three pencils") is a drawing technique using three colors of chalk: red (sanguine), black (a type of oil shale), and white.
[1] Among numerous others, French painters Antoine Watteau and François Boucher drew studies of figures and drapery aux trois crayons.
His mastery of this method inspired admiration and influence on other French artists, such as Jean-Baptiste Joseph Pater, François Boucher, and Jean Honoré Fragonard.
Initially thought to be by Antoine Coypel, further analysis suggested Louis de Boullogne the Younger as the likely artist, revealing stylistic similarities in his use of chalk.
These faun studies, likely created for a specific ceiling decoration, enrich Boullogne's body of work, uncovering a previously unknown aspect of his artistry and prompting further exploration in the art world.