Artwork Page for Head of a Young Woman

Details / Information for Head of a Young Woman

Head of a Young Woman

early 1730s
(French, 1703–1770)
Measurements
Framed: 47 x 40 x 6 cm (18 1/2 x 15 3/4 x 2 3/8 in.); Unframed: 32.4 x 25.6 cm (12 3/4 x 10 1/16 in.)
Credit Line
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view

Description

This work was catalogued as "style of Chardin" when it entered the museum's collection, and was considered a minor rococo revival work of the 1800s. In 2011, the museum asked Alastair Laing, the leading scholar of the artist Boucher, to study it. He confirmed that the painting is a rare survival from the artist's early career—one of only two known oil studies of this type by the artist.
A vertically oriented oil painting depicts a woman with light skin tone from the shoulders up, her head turned and looking away to our right. Curly brown hair peeks from a white lace cap adorned with a blue ribbon and pink flowers. She has rosy cheeks, soft lips, and wears a pearl earring. A blue shawl is draped over her shoulders against a muted background. Visible brushwork defines the fabric and her delicate features.

Head of a Young Woman

early 1730s

François Boucher

(French, 1703–1770)
France, 18th century

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