Artwork
Portrait of a Hindu woman wearing jewellery
Portrait of a Hindu woman wearing jewellery is a paint painting by the Impressionist artist John Joseph Fonçeca. It dates from 1872 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
The painter used quick brushstrokes, so her face looks softly focused.
This portrait shows a Hindu woman in 1872 Madras. She wears a red sari and gold jewelry, her dark hair coiled in a bun. The painter used quick brushstrokes, so her face looks softly focused.
John Joseph Fonçeca lived in India and often painted local women. His style mixed European realism with loose impressionist touches.
See her gold earrings? They shine like real metal. Look up Fonçeca, John Joseph.
Overview
This 1872 painting, Portrait of a Hindu woman wearing jewellery, is the work of John Joseph Fonçeca, an artist about whom little is known beyond his marriage to Anne Meppen in 1849 and their four children.
Subject & Meaning
The portrait depicts a Hindu woman in Madras, wearing a red sari and gold jewelry, her dark hair styled in a bun. The subject is one of several local women Fonçeca painted during his time in India.
Technique & Style
Fonçeca's style blends European realism with loose, impressionist touches, evident in the quick brushstrokes used to render the subject's softly focused face. The gold jewelry is depicted with such skill that it appears to shine like real metal.
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Artist & collection
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