Where can I see Le Zendale (Woman in a Hood, or the Woman Returning from Church)?

Le Zendale (Woman in a Hood, or the Woman Returning from Church) is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Le Zendale (Woman in a Hood, or the Woman Returning from Church)?

Le Zendale (Woman in a Hood, or the Woman Returning from Church) is associated with Romanticism.

Artwork

Le Zendale (Woman in a Hood, or the Woman Returning from Church)

Le Zendale (Woman in a Hood, or the Woman Returning from Church) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Giovanni David. It dates from 1775 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1775, Giovanni David’s print titled Le Zendale—also known as Woman in a Hood or the Woman Returning from Church—is an etching combined with aquatint on laid paper. The monochrome image presents a solitary figure in a dark, flowing dress and hood, accompanied by a small dog, set against a distant church with soaring spires.

Subject & Meaning

The central figure appears to be a woman just leaving a place of worship, suggested by the title. She holds a fan in one hand, a customary accessory of the period, while her companion dog follows her steps. The composition’s quiet atmosphere and the swirling clouds above convey a sense of contemplation and gentle movement beyond the sacred space.

Technique & Style

David employed a combination of precise etching lines and aquatint washes to achieve tonal depth. Fine linear work defines the woman’s attire and the dog’s form, while broader, softly graded aquatint areas render the sky’s clouds and the distant church’s architecture, creating a layered sense of space within the limited black‑and‑white palette.

History & Provenance

The print was produced in the late eighteenth century, a period when Italian printmakers frequently explored everyday subjects through the etching‑aquatint medium. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work is catalogued among David’s known prints and has been referenced in scholarly surveys of eighteenth‑century Italian graphic art.