Young Mother Breastfeeding her Child

From the Getty Museum record

Although Charpentier used his sister-in-law and her infant as models for this intimate scene, he nevertheless infused the work, which celebrates motherhood, with a universal quality. The stoneware medium, practical for its durability, adds chromatic warmth and textural softness. Charpentier believed that art should be accessible to all and integrated into daily life. Fittingly, this plaque decorated the nursery of a private home near Paris.