Artwork
A Lady Wearing a Dormeuse Cap
A Lady Wearing a Dormeuse Cap is a chalk drawing by the Romanticist artist Nicolaas Muys. It dates from 1770 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
A Lady Wearing a Dormeuse Cap is a red and black chalk drawing on laid paper, attributed to Nicolaas Muys and dated to circa 1770. It portrays a woman's head and shoulders in a slight profile.
Subject & Meaning
The subject is a woman wearing a distinctive white dormeuse cap adorned with ruffled edges and a few red flowers. Her gentle expression and softly rendered clothing are the primary focal points.
Technique & Style
Muys employed red and black chalk to achieve subtle, three-dimensional effects through gentle shadows and highlights, characteristic of 18th-century sketch portraiture. The sparse background underscores the subject's prominence.
History & Provenance
Created around 1770, the drawing exemplifies the period's preference for quick yet detailed portrait sketches. Its provenance details are not specified in available information.
Context
The work reflects 18th-century artistic practices, where such drawings served as either studies or finished portraits, emphasizing capture of likeness and mood over elaborate composition.
Legacy
While specific influence or renown of 'A Lady Wearing a Dormeuse Cap' is not detailed, it contributes to the broader understanding of late 18th-century European portrait drawing techniques and fashions.
Artist & collection
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman
Mme. de M ... en habit de bal
Portrait of Sukey, Lady Oglander, née Serle
Bust of a Young Woman Looking Down
Half-length Portrait of a Seated Woman
Head of a Woman (Mme. Deshayes?)
Portrait of Sukey, Lady Oglander, née Serle
Mme. de M ... en habit de bal
Frau Gottfried von Herder
Portrait of a Woman
Lady's Head