1816
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Mme. Dufresne is a 1816 unspecified by Pierre Paul Prud'hon, a French Romanticism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
This painting shows a woman sitting in a landscape with her legs crossed. She looks relaxed. The artist made this sketch for a full-length portrait that is now lost. The woman is probably the wife of an art dealer. The artist based this composition on a sketch for a portrait of Empress Josephine. You can learn more about this style by looking into the technique of sfumato.
The artist made this sketch in preparation for a full-length portrait of Madame Dufresne that is now lost. Prud'hon showed the sitter—probably the wife of an art dealer—in a landscape where she is seated in a relaxed pose with her legs crossed. According to an early auction record, the composition is based upon one of several sketches Prud'hon made for a portrait of Empress Josephine (1763–1814). The empress probably rejected the pose as too casual. Prud'hon's portraits show his skill in capturing emotions, especially melancholy. This is true of the Cleveland portrait; despite its rough…
Read the full account in the museum source.
Pierre-Paul Prud'hon (French pronunciation: , 4 April 1758 – 16 February 16, 1823) was a French Neo-classical painter and draughtsman best known in his own time for his allegorical paintings and portraits, now for his drawings.
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