Portrait of Marie Gabrielle de Gramont, Duchesse de Caderousse, Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun
On Google Art Project, also available on Wikimedia Commons. Original is in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
I think Vigée Le Brun likely “sweetened” her portraits a bit — flattering the sitter — but I’m a complete sucker for it. I just love the way she paints. Look at the soft, painterly edges of the face, hands, forearm and fruit, contrasted with the rough texture and harder edges of the scarf, ribbon and hat.










Link: Portrait of Marie Gabrielle de Gramont, Duchesse de Caderousse, Google Art Project
When women hadn’t heard of mascara, eyeshadow, eyeliner, lipstick or even CHANEL N°5…..
http://www.chanel.com/en_US/fragrance-beauty/N%C2%B05-136328
Nevertheless, the Dutchess is stunning!
As was Vigée Le Brun herself: http://linesandcolors.com/2012/12/31/eye-candy-for-today-vigee-le-brun-self-portrait/
Typo: Duchess of Caderousse.
http://www.batguano.com/vigeeartpages.html
Leah Marie Brown, Author, who idolises Marie Antoinette, wrote ‘A Tale of two Duchesses’.
http://leahmariebrown.blogspot.nl/2011_12_01_archive.html
I wonder if French miniaturist Jean-Baptiste Jacques Augustin painted Marie-Gabrielle de Sinéty, her maiden name, before or after Vigée le Brun.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marie-Gabrielle_de_Sin%C3%A9ty,_duchesse_de_Caderousse.jpg
I have always loved her work – thank you for posting it in such loving detail. Now she was one damned fine painter and to heck with the text books that brush her off with a few condensing words. As always, your page is a joy to visit.