Profielportret van een dame 1740 - 1840

Editor: This drawing, titled "Profielportret van een dame," or "Profile Portrait of a Lady," is estimated to have been made between 1740 and 1840. It is by Gabriel de Saint-Aubin and created with graphite and pencil on toned paper. The delicate lines give the subject a somewhat ephemeral quality. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: Looking at the social context, portraiture like this, particularly in profile, speaks to a growing interest in individuality and status in the burgeoning middle classes. The Baroque influence is still present, although subtly, in the suggested hairstyle. We must consider who could commission and possess such a piece, and what function it serves within their social sphere. Does it commemorate someone or reinforce a social bond? Editor: That’s interesting, thinking about the rise of the middle class. It does feel less formal than some other portraits from the time. Curator: Precisely! Notice how the pencil sketch isn't striving for the same polished perfection as oil paintings of the aristocracy. Could this inform a less constrained idea about women? Was this created by or for women? Where could it be displayed and viewed, and who might get to see it? Also, how does this contrast with the earlier uses of portraiture as an exclusively political and religious instrument? Editor: I never thought of the politics of a simple pencil sketch! I'd assumed its primary purpose was capturing likeness, but now I am not so sure. Curator: The medium dictates audience and social meaning. The pencil sketch becomes part of an expanded visual vocabulary – not replacing oil paintings, but adding nuances to existing codes around who and how people are portrayed. Consider how it democratizes representation. Editor: So interesting to consider how shifts in art mirror social change! Thanks! Curator: My pleasure, indeed, these portraits offer quiet reflections on larger socio-cultural shifts.