Artwork
Jeune femme
Jeune femme is an unspecified work on paper by the Rococo painting artist Pierre Thomas Le Clerc ou Leclerc. It dates from 1780 and is held in the collection of the Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1780, the watercolor titled *Jeune femme* is attributed to Pierre Thomas Le Clerc (also recorded as Le Clerc ou Leclerc). The work is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography, where it is displayed as an example of late‑18th‑century portraiture rendered in watercolour.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a young woman standing outdoors beside a low fence and shrubbery. She wears a light‑brown dress trimmed with lace, its sleeves puffed and its skirt full, and a tall, ornamented hat tied with ribbons. A handheld fan completes the composition, suggesting a leisurely, perhaps genteel, moment captured in a domestic or garden setting.
Technique & Style
The artist employs a delicate palette of muted tones, applying the watercolour in soft, fluid washes that create a gentle atmospheric effect. Loose brushwork and subtle glazing build up layers of colour, a method typical of the 1700s that emphasizes translucency and a sense of immediacy in the portrayal of fabric and foliage.
History & Provenance
The piece entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings through acquisition records dating to the early 20th century, though earlier ownership details remain sparse. Its attribution to Le Clerc reflects stylistic analysis and archival references linking the work to the artist’s activity around the 1780s.
Context
During the late Enlightenment period, portrait watercolours often served as informal records of fashion and social customs. *Jeune femme* aligns with this trend, illustrating contemporary dress, accessories such as fans, and the cultivated garden backdrop that signified refinement among the emerging bourgeois class.
Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre Thomas Le Clerc ou Leclerc
Pierre Thomas Le Clerc made delicate 18th-century watercolors of men’s and women’s fashions, recording the exact cut and trim of coats, waistcoats and robes in minute detail.
Museum
Palais Galliera - Musée de la Mode de la Ville de Paris
Continue through works from the same source collection.
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