Who painted Peasant Woman with Basket, in Profile, Facing Left?

Peasant Woman with Basket, in Profile, Facing Left was painted by Israel Henriet in 1646.

Where can I see Peasant Woman with Basket, in Profile, Facing Left?

Peasant Woman with Basket, in Profile, Facing Left is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Peasant Woman with Basket, in Profile, Facing Left?

Peasant Woman with Basket, in Profile, Facing Left is associated with Baroque.

Artwork

Peasant Woman with Basket, in Profile, Facing Left

Israel Henriet , 1646

Peasant Woman with Basket, in Profile, Facing Left is an ink print by the Baroque artist Israel Henriet. It dates from 1646 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

She is dressed in a long skirt and a loose‑fitting upper garment, topped with a modest head covering, and she clutches a basket in her left hand.

Israel Henriet’s 1646 etching presents a solitary peasant woman viewed in profile, her gaze directed toward the left. She is dressed in a long skirt and a loose‑fitting upper garment, topped with a modest head covering, and she clutches a basket in her left hand. The composition captures a moment of everyday rural life, rendered with the fine line work characteristic of mid‑seventeenth‑century printmaking.

Subject & Meaning

The figure’s simple attire and the presence of a basket suggest a working‑class individual engaged in agricultural tasks, reflecting the social realities of the period. By isolating the woman against an unadorned background, Henriet emphasizes the dignity of ordinary labor, inviting viewers to consider the rhythms of countryside existence during the Baroque era.

Technique & Style

Executed as an etching on laid paper, the work relies on incised lines and varying densities of hatchings to model form and space. Subtle gradations of tone create a tactile surface, while careful shading imparts a convincing three‑dimensionality to the folds of clothing and the curvature of the basket, achieving a realistic effect without resorting to elaborate ornamentation.

History & Provenance

Created in 1646, the print belongs to the corpus of Henriet’s output during a period when French printmakers increasingly documented everyday subjects. Although specific ownership records are scarce, the piece has been catalogued in several collections of seventeenth‑century French prints, confirming its attribution to Henriet and its circulation among connoisseurs of the time.