Artwork
Graziella
Graziella is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Jules Lefebvre. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject is identified as wearing a Ciociaro costume, a traditional dress associated with the Ciociaria region of Italy.
Jules Lefebvre's 1890 oil painting Graziella presents a portrait of a woman depicted in profile. The subject is identified as wearing a Ciociaro costume, a traditional dress associated with the Ciociaria region of Italy. This specific attire serves as the primary iconographic element, grounding the figure in a distinct cultural and regional context rather than presenting a generic allegorical figure.
The work focuses on the visual representation of this costumed individual, emphasizing the profile view which highlights the contours of the face and the details of the traditional clothing. The painting functions as a study of regional identity and costume, capturing the likeness of a woman in this dress within the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection.
Technique & Style
Graziella is an oil painting created in 1890 by the French academic artist Jules Lefebvre (also recorded as Jules-Joseph Lefebvre). It is executed in oil on canvas, measuring approximately 200 cm in height by 112.4 cm in width. It portrays a female sitter in profile, dressed in a Ciociaro costume, rendered with the precise brushwork typical of late-19th-century academic portraiture.
The painting entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Its formal qualities include a restrained palette, clear delineation of form, and a focus on the sitter's dignified posture.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Graziella was created by Jules Lefebvre in 1890. Executed in oil on canvas, the work depicts a woman in profile wearing a Ciociaro costume. It is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
While the specific commission details and the full chain of ownership prior to its acquisition by the museum are not detailed in the available records, the work's inception is dated to 1890. The physical dimensions of the canvas are recorded as 200 cm in height and 112.4 cm in width.
Overview
Painted in 1890, Jules Lefebvre's Graziella depicts a young woman seated on a rocky promontory overlooking the sea. The figure, identified by the title as the character from Alphonse de Lamartine's novel, is shown in profile holding a long fishing net, suggesting a connection to the coastal labor of Capri. She wears a simple white blouse with blue sleeves and a dark skirt, her bare feet dangling over the edge of the ledge.
A single red flower tucked into her loose hair provides a focal point of color against the muted tones of the ocean and sky. Lefebvre, a celebrated academic painter known for his idealized female figures, renders the scene with precise draftsmanship and a soft, diffused light that emphasizes the texture of the skin and fabric. The composition balances the solidity of the foreground figure with the atmospheric expanse of the background, characteristic of the artist's late-career focus on romanticized genre scenes.
This work exemplifies the French academic tradition's blend of literary allusion and technical mastery, capturing a moment of quiet contemplation rather than narrative action.
Artist & collection
