Artwork
Tête de Flore (Head of Flora)
Tête de Flore (Head of Flora) is a pastel print by the Romanticist artist Louis-Marin Bonnet. It dates from 1769 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Louis-Marin Bonnet’s 1769 work Tête de Flore, a pastel print, presents a half‑profile portrait of a young woman. Her hair is arranged in loose curls, interspersed with small blossoms, and a pink ribbon rests at her throat. She is dressed in a light, flowing garment that fades into a dark, swirling background, while her skin is rendered with a gentle, luminous glow.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is identified as Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, suggested by the floral ornaments in her hair and the overall delicate, naturalistic tone. The composition emphasizes femininity and the fleeting beauty of spring, using the soft pastel palette to evoke a sense of tenderness and transience associated with the deity’s domain.
Technique & Style
Bonnet employed pastel sticks, a medium that allows for smooth gradations and subtle color blends. The artist built up the portrait with layered pigments, achieving a velvety texture on the skin and a muted, atmospheric backdrop. The use of multiple hues—reds, greens, blues, and pinks—creates a harmonious, almost iridescent effect that blurs the boundary between figure and setting.
History & Provenance
Created in 1769, the print reflects the late‑Baroque taste for decorative portraiture in France. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work is catalogued among Bonnet’s surviving pastel prints, indicating its circulation among collectors of the period and its preservation in museum collections dedicated to 18th‑century French art.
Artist & collection
