Preparation to the portrait of Anne Julie Boetie of St. Leger 

This pastel on paper portrait was created by Maurice Quentin de La Tour, who was born in 1704, as preparation for a painting of Anne Julie Boetie of St. Leger. La Tour was a leading portraitist during the reign of Louis XV, a period marked by the Rococo style and the Enlightenment. The artwork provides a glimpse into the lives of aristocratic women in 18th-century France. While male portraiture often emphasized power and status, portraits of women like Anne Julie tended to focus on beauty and elegance. The soft pastel tones and delicate rendering capture her refined features, yet the almost sketch-like quality introduces a sense of intimacy and immediacy. In her gaze, can you discern a hint of the complex social expectations placed on women of her time? This work, while seemingly traditional, subtly hints at the narratives that women like Anne Julie were beginning to craft for themselves within the constraints of their society.