Jacques-Émile Blanche
French, 1861–1942
Portrait of a Woman
1890
Jacques-Emile Blanche’s talent as a portraitist is evident in this large-scale pastel of an unknown woman. Details of the sitter’s attire and surroundings attest to her social status, from the jeweled black choker cinching the high collar of her satin dress and the pair of opera glasses clasped gently in her right hand, to the velvety chair cushion against which she rests. Highly finished pastels had been gaining popularity in France during the late nineteenth century, particularly through the bold Impressionist innovations of Blanche’s friends Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas. Portrait of a Woman exemplifies Blanche’s early half-length portraits of elegant women, a series characterized by muted tones and feathery effects of pastel.
| Medium | pastel on prepared canvas |
| Dimensions | 32 11/16 x 23 1/16 in. (83 x 58.5 cm) Frame: 38 3/8 x 28 1/2 x 2 1/8 in. (97.5 x 72.4 x 5.4 cm) |
| Object Number | 1983.48 |
| Acquisition | Acquired by the Clark, 1983 |
| Status | On View |
Image Caption
Jacques-Émile Blanche, Portrait of a Woman, 1890, pastel on prepared canvas. Clark Art Institute, Acquired by the Clark, 1983.48
Select Bibliography
EUROPEAN PAINTINGS CATALOGUE ENTRY
Provenance
Sale, Sotheby’s, London, 23 June 1983, no. 620, ill., as A Portrait of a Lady with a Lorgnette, sold to The Fine Art Society;¹ [The Fine Art Society, Ltd., London, June–Dec. 1983, sold to the Clark, 19 Dec. 1983]; Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1983. 1. The work was offered for sale at Sotheby’s, London, 1 Dec. 1976, no. 241, ill., as Portrait de Dame, but was bought in.
