Artwork
Portrait of a Woman Reclining on a Sofa
Portrait of a Woman Reclining on a Sofa is a watercolor painting by the Neoclassicist artist Jean-Antoine Laurent. It dates from 1796 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
The work is a portrait miniature painted in watercolor on an ivory support, a common format for French portraiture of the late eighteenth century.
The work is a portrait miniature painted in watercolor on an ivory support, a common format for French portraiture of the late eighteenth century.
The composition presents the sitter in a reclining pose on a sofa, rendered with delicate, refined brushwork and subtle modulation of light and shadow across the face and drapery. The handling emphasizes refined contours and smooth transitions, characteristic of the neoclassical taste for clarity and restraint.
The ivory support contributes a luminous, reflective surface that enhances the luminosity of the watercolor pigments, while the miniature scale and intimate format underscore the work’s function as a personal keepsake.
History & Provenance
The ivory miniature Portrait of a Woman Reclining on a Sofa is dated to 1790 by the artist’s inscription, which is treated as the work’s creation date.
By 1942 the miniature had entered the Cleveland Museum of Art as a promised gift, accessioned on 26 November 1942 as 1942.1148. The museum’s records list Jean-Antoine Laurent as the creator and identify the support as ivory, matching the artist’s known practice in portrait miniatures.
The Portrait of a Woman Reclining on a Sofa is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art in Cleveland. The work carries the accession number 1942.1148 within the museum's records. While the artwork was created by Jean-Antoine Laurent around 1790, the specific exhibition history for this piece is not detailed in the available documentation.
Overview
Jean-Antoine Laurent's "Portrait of a Woman Reclining on a Sofa," created in 1796, is an intimate painting executed on ivory. This work is part of the collection at The Cleveland Museum of Art, offering a glimpse into late 18th-century portraiture and the artist's distinct approach to the medium.
Subject & Meaning
The composition features a woman seated comfortably on a sofa, her attire a light-colored dress adorned with lace trim on the sleeve. Her hair is styled in curls, secured by a red ribbon, and she delicately holds a small, unspecified object. The background is rendered in a soft blue, subtly revealing a lamp and faint suggestions of drapery or a window, creating a serene domestic setting.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
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Schilderij met voorstelling van een meisje met bloemenmand- Portrait of a Woman Reclining on a Sofa