The Declaration of Love

Schall employs a limited palette of chalks—red, black and white—augmented by a subtle red wash that models the figures and suggests depth. The contrast between the crisp white of the woman’s gown and the darker tones of the man’s attire creates visual focus on the central pair, while the soft, muted background recedes, enhancing the scene’s tenderness.

Created toward the end of the eighteenth century, the drawing entered the National Gallery of Art’s holdings through acquisition in the twentieth century, though earlier ownership records are sparse. Its preservation on an older mount indicates that the paper support was reinforced at some point, a common practice for works on delicate media.

Although predating the height of Romanticism, the work anticipates the movement’s emphasis on emotion and individual feeling. Schall’s treatment of a personal, sentimental encounter aligns with the period’s growing interest in private sentiment, situating the drawing within the broader shift toward expressive, affective subject matter in late‑eighteenth‑century French art.