Artwork
Madame Jean-Baptiste Nicolet (Anne Antoinette Desmoulins, 1743–1817)
Madame Jean-Baptiste Nicolet (Anne Antoinette Desmoulins, 1743–1817) is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Jean-Baptiste Greuze. It dates from 1790 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Her direct gaze and restrained attire suggest a private, bourgeois identity rather than aristocratic display.
The portrait depicts Anne Antoinette Desmoulins, known as Madame Jean-Baptiste Nicolet (1743–1817), presented in a mode characteristic of Greuze’s intimate, softly modeled likenesses. Her direct gaze and restrained attire suggest a private, bourgeois identity rather than aristocratic display. The painting emphasizes naturalism and psychological presence, aligning with Enlightenment-era portraiture that valued individual character over allegorical ornament.
The absence of overt symbols in the composition focuses attention on the sitter’s lived identity, framing the work as a record of personal identity within the cultural milieu of late eighteenth-century France.
Technique & Style
Madame Jean-Baptiste Nicolet is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel support, a durable medium characteristic of 18th-century portraiture. Created in 1780 by Jean-Baptiste Greuze, the work measures 64.1 cm in height and 53.3 cm in width. As a formal portrait, the piece utilizes the oil medium to render the likeness of Anne-Antoinette Desmoulins with the precision expected of the genre.
The panel support provides a rigid foundation for the artist's handling of the paint, distinguishing it from canvas-based works of the period. The physical dimensions and material composition reflect the standard practices for intimate portraiture of the era, preserving the subject's image within a compact, vertically oriented format.
History & Provenance
Madame Jean-Baptiste Nicolet (Anne Antoinette Desmoulins, 1743–1817) is an oil‑on‑panel portrait painted in 1780 by Jean‑Baptiste Greuze. The work depicts the sitter, Anne‑Antoinette Nicolet, and was created as a private likeness; no documentary evidence records a specific commission. After Greuze’s death the portrait remained in the Nicolet family until it entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has been displayed since its acquisition.
The painting’s dating is confirmed by an inscription of 1780 and by catalog records that list its inception as 1780‑00‑00, its dimensions as 64.1 × 53.3 cm, and its material as oil paint on panel.
Madame Jean-Baptiste Nicolet is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work, an oil painting on panel executed by Jean-Baptiste Greuze in 1780, depicts Anne-Antoinette Nicolet. The museum's records identify the piece as a portrait with dimensions of 64.1 cm in height and 53.3 cm in width.
While the artwork is confirmed to be part of the Met's permanent holdings, the provided sources do not list a specific inventory or accession number, nor do they detail any exhibition history for this specific portrait.
Overview
Jean-Baptiste Greuze painted Madame Jean-Baptiste Nicolet (Anne Antoinette Desmoulins, 1743–1817) in 1790. This oil on canvas portrait, rendered in the Rococo style, captures its subject in a contemplative, private moment. The artwork is presently held in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, representing Greuze's skill in depicting individual character and domesticity.
Context
Jean-Baptiste Greuze was widely recognized for his genre scenes, which often depicted moralizing narratives and everyday life, alongside his portraits and history paintings. This work aligns with his broader interest in capturing human emotion and private moments, even within a formal portrait. It reflects a period taste for intimate portrayals that reveal character through domestic activity.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Baptiste Greuze (French pronunciation: 21 August 1725 – 4 March 1805) was a French painter of portraits, genre scenes, and history painting.
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