Artwork Page for Head of a Young Woman

Details / Information for Head of a Young Woman

Head of a Young Woman

early 1730s

François Boucher

(French, 1703–1770)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
oil on canvas
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
Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2012.95
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print

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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