alb3627260

PHILIPPE DE CHAMPAIGNE. Portrait of Charlotte Duchesne

Portrait of Charlotte Duchesne. Artist: Philippe de Champaigne (French, Brussels 1602-1674 Paris). Dimensions: 8 11/16 x 7 11/16 in. (22 x 19.6 cm.). Date: ca. 1628.
Although the inscription likely postdates the artist's lifetime, there is no reason to doubt that this sheet is a portrait drawn from life of Philippe de Champaigne's wife, Charlotte Duchesne, daughter of the painter Nicolas Duchesne, who had hired the young Flemish-born artist to assist in the decoration of the Luxembourg Palace for Marie de' Medici shortly after his arrival in Paris. It is a study for a bust-length oil painting in the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, which, before the Metropolitan's drawing came to light in 1992, had been thought to represent Henriette of France, wife of Charles I of England.
With a disarming directness, the artist focused on transcribing his young wife's features and expression, with only the most minimal and schematic indications of costume and jewelry. To create this effect of naturalism, the face was subtly modeled in black chalk with touches of white and red. The delicate handling calls attention to the slight knitting of the sitter's brow and the rounded cheek revealing just the faintest hint of a smile.

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Author:

PHILIPPE DE CHAMPAIGNE (1602-1674)

Title:

Portrait of Charlotte Duchesne

Caption:

Portrait of Charlotte Duchesne. Artist: Philippe de Champaigne (French, Brussels 1602-1674 Paris). Dimensions: 8 11/16 x 7 11/16 in. (22 x 19.6 cm.). Date: ca. 1628. Although the inscription likely postdates the artist's lifetime, there is no reason to doubt that this sheet is a portrait drawn from life of Philippe de Champaigne's wife, Charlotte Duchesne, daughter of the painter Nicolas Duchesne, who had hired the young Flemish-born artist to assist in the decoration of the Luxembourg Palace for Marie de' Medici shortly after his arrival in Paris. It is a study for a bust-length oil painting in the Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, which, before the Metropolitan's drawing came to light in 1992, had been thought to represent Henriette of France, wife of Charles I of England. With a disarming directness, the artist focused on transcribing his young wife's features and expression, with only the most minimal and schematic indications of costume and jewelry. To create this effect of naturalism, the face was subtly modeled in black chalk with touches of white and red. The delicate handling calls attention to the slight knitting of the sitter's brow and the rounded cheek revealing just the faintest hint of a smile.

Technique/material:

Black chalk, heightened with white, with touches of red chalk

Museum:

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA

Credit:

Album / Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY

Releases:

Model: No - Property: No
Rights questions?

Image size:

3502 x 4073 px | 40.8 MB

Print size:

29.7 x 34.5 cm | 11.7 x 13.6 in (300 dpi)

Keywords:

BLACK CHALK, HEIGHTENED WITH WHITE, WITH TOUCHES OF RED CHALK • CHALK • DRAWINGS AND PRINTS • DRAWINGS • EUROPE • FRANCE • METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK, USA • PASTELS • PHILIPPE DE CHAMPAIGNE