Artwork
Study of a Model
Study of a Model is an oil painting by the Realist artist Alfred Stevens. It dates from 1864 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left in monogram: AS
About this work
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on a wood panel, the work measures 40.7 cm in height by 26.6 cm in width. The handling is refined and controlled, in keeping with Stevens's academic manner, with form modeled through subtle gradations of tone rather than heavy impasto. The composition centers on a single female figure, a posed model, against a plain background, consistent with nineteenth-century academic practice.
History & Provenance
Dale retained it until his death, after which it entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.
Study of a Model was consigned to auction at the Plaza Art Rooms, New York, on 27 January 1927, where it appeared as lot 52, and was purchased there by Chester Dale. Dale retained it until his death, after which it entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., as part of his bequest in 1964. The painting is executed in oil on a wood panel measuring 40.7 by 26.6 centimeters. No specific public exhibitions for the work are recorded in the available sources.
Overview
Alfred Stevens, a Belgian artist active in the mid‑nineteenth century, produced the oil‑on‑wood work Study of a Model in 1864. The painting presents a solitary female figure rendered with meticulous attention to surface and form, characteristic of Stevens’s commitment to realistic representation during this phase of his career.
Subject & Meaning
The composition features a young woman standing against a subdued backdrop. She wears a white blouse and a dark, floor‑length skirt, her long brown hair cascading over her shoulders. Her head is inclined slightly downward, hand poised near her face, suggesting a moment of quiet introspection rather than a narrative scene.
Context
Study of a Model aligns with the broader realist movement of the 1860s, which prioritized faithful observation over idealized romantic narratives. Stevens’s Belgian background and subsequent Parisian career placed him at the crossroads of Northern European genre traditions and the emerging modern urban milieu, influencing his choice of a solitary, contemplative model.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Alfred Émile Léopold Stevens (11 May 1823 – 24 August 1906) was a Belgian painter, known for his paintings of elegant modern women.
