Art Institute of Chicago

Portrait of an Artist

Artist unknown (French, active 18th century)

Date

c. 1735

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

France

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Professional women artists were rare in the 1730s. The Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, which controlled artistic education and competitive art exhibitions called salons, was closed to women. Instead, artistic careers were traditionally limited to those born into families of artists, who could be trained by a male relative. The subject of this portrait probably belonged to such a clan. The presentation here emphasizes the sitter’s luxurious attire, including a swansdown scarf and a damask morning gown, as well as her vocation: she sits confidently before her easel, her palette in hand.

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