Seated Woman c. 1809 - 1810

Curator: This is "Seated Woman" by Merry Joseph Blondel, a work currently residing here at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The muted tones give it an unfinished, almost ghostly, quality. It really captures a sense of ephemeral beauty. Curator: Considering Blondel's broader artistic contributions during the Neoclassical period, what does this specific medium suggest about the work's function, its potential role as a preparatory study? Editor: Perhaps it speaks to the constraints placed on women of the era, confined to domestic spaces, their identities mediated through portraiture. Even the small scale feels significant. Curator: Indeed, it highlights the material conditions of artistic creation, the means by which ideas are tested and refined. Editor: Thank you, that’s given me a lot to think about in terms of class and gender. Curator: Me too, especially in terms of how sketches relate to ideas of production.