La toilette de Venus

1783

Jean-François Janinet

Associated Names
Jean-François Janinet

Artist, French, 1752 - 1814

François Boucher

Artist After, French, 1703 - 1770

The image shows a woman seated on a luxurious chair or bed. She is in a relaxed position with her body slightly turned to the side. Her face is visible, with symmetrical features, and her hair is styled elegantly, falling softly around her shoulders. The woman is draped in silky fabric. Three cherubic figures are around her, with one playing with her hair. The woman is wearing a bracelet and holding a small cosmetic container. The background has a large green drape, an architectural element like a column, and decorative elements like flowers.

Media Options

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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    wash manner, printed in blue, red, carmine, yellow, and black inks

  • Credit Line

    Widener Collection

  • Dimensions

    plate: 49.3 x 38.6 cm (19 7/16 x 15 3/16 in.)
    overall (outer framing line): 37.3 x 29.2 cm (14 11/16 x 11 1/2 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1942.9.2382

  • Catalogue Raisonné

    Portalis/Beraldi 1880, no. 3

Artwork history & notes

Exhibition History

1944

  • French Prints and Drawings of the XVIIIth Century, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1944-1945, no catalogue.

1988

  • Graphic Survey Show, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., June 1988.

2003

  • Colorful Impressions: The Printmaking Revolution in Eighteenth-Century France, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2003-2004, no. 47b, as La Toilette de Vénus.

Bibliography

1880

  • Portalis, baron Roger and Henri Beraldi. Les graveurs du dix-huitieme siecle. 2 parts, 3 vols. each part. Paris, 1880.

2003

  • Colorful Impressions: The Printmaking Revolution in Eighteenth-Century France. Exh. cat. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2003-2004: no. 47b.

Wikidata ID

Q64959222

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