Jane Jarvis
Paul Delaroche (French, 1797–1856)
1830–31
- Medium
- pastel, heightened with white gouache on tan woven paper, mounted to board
- Classification
- Drawing
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 46.2 x 34.3 cm (18 3/16 x 13 1/2 in.)
- Culture
- France, 19th century
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Drawings
- Credit line
- Bequest of Muriel Butkin
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its museum says too little about what it shows to place it for younger viewers. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
This portrait of an English woman named Jane Jarvis probably shows her not too long after the death of her father. Her jet black jewels are French, but her low-neck dress, which represents the last stage of the mourning period, could be French or English. With his pastels, Delaroche created a dashingly decorative image that highlights and complements the elaborate dress depicted. The large Renaissance-style hat seems to float against the creamy blues and beiges of the background. Below, the chalky pastel describes the particular appearance of the arms seen through the gauzy material of the sleeves, and energetic stray lines around the body add an ornamental flourish of technical virtuosity.
