Artwork
Le neglige, ou la toilette du matin
Le neglige, ou la toilette du matin is an ink print by the Baroque artist Jacques-Philippe Le Bas. It dates from 1741 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1741 by French printmaker Jacques‑Philippe Le Bas, this work combines engraving and etching to produce a single image.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1741 by French printmaker Jacques‑Philippe Le Bas, this work combines engraving and etching to produce a single image. The print, titled *Le négligé, ou la toilette du matin*, records an intimate domestic moment, rendered in the delicate linear style typical of mid‑eighteenth‑century French prints.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts a woman in a long, modest gown assisting a child with a ribbon or bow, suggesting the routine of morning grooming. A small table holds a candle, a mirror reflects the room, and a clock on a shelf marks the time, emphasizing the ordinary, everyday nature of the activity rather than any ceremonial dress.
Technique & Style
Le Bas employed fine, closely spaced lines to model the folds of fabric and the subtle play of light across surfaces. The combination of engraving’s precise incisions with the softer tonal qualities of etching allows the artist to delineate textures—cloth, wood, metal—while maintaining a clear, almost photographic clarity.
History & Provenance
The print was produced in Paris during a period when domestic genre scenes were popular among collectors seeking images of private life. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work appears in several 18th‑century catalogues of Le Bas’s oeuvre, confirming its attribution and dating.
Context
In the early 1740s, French printmakers often turned to everyday subjects to appeal to a growing middle‑class market. *Le négligé* reflects this trend, offering a glimpse of bourgeois household routines and aligning with contemporary interests in moralizing depictions of modest, orderly life.
Artist & collection
