The Deshabille

1776

James Watson after Gabriel Metsu

Associated Names
James Watson

Artist, British, c. 1740 - 1790

Gabriel Metsu

Artist After, Dutch, 1629 - 1667

The image shows a woman seated sideways, looking into a mirror she is holding. Her body, from head to knees, is visible as she sits on a chair. Her head is slightly bowed, and her hand is near her face. She has delicate facial features with a slight double chin and soft cheeks. She wears a white cap and a flowing gown with long sleeves. The chair has carved upright posts, heavy curtains are partially visible behind her. The background is simple and softly lit, casting gentle shadows on her and the mirror frame.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    mezzotint on laid paper

  • Credit Line

    Paul Mellon Fund

  • Dimensions

    plate: 33 x 22.9 cm (13 x 9 in.)
    sheet: 34 x 26.1 cm (13 3/8 x 10 1/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2001.118.71

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Chaloner Smith 1884, undescribed

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Colin Franklin. Christopher Lennox-Boyd; (Nicholas Stogdon, Oxford); purchased 2001 by NGA

Associated Names

Bibliography

1884

  • Smith, John Chaloner. British mezzotinto portraits, being a descriptive catalogue of these engravings from the introduction of the art to the early part of the present century. 4 vols. London: Henry Sotheran and Co., 1884.

1904

  • Goodwin, Gordon. Thomas Watson, James Watson, Elizabeth Judkins. London, 1904.

Inscriptions

lower left in plate: Metzu pinxit; lower right in plate: Jas. Watson Sculp.; lower center in plate: The Deshbaille

Wikidata ID

Q76342967

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