Study for portrait of unknown woman 

Maurice Quentin de La Tour made this pastel study of an unknown woman in 18th-century France. As a study, the artwork offers an insight into the social and institutional context of portraiture at the time. La Tour was a renowned portraitist, and pastel became his medium of choice. Portraits offered entry into elite circles. This study provides a glimpse into the artist's process, revealing the layers of pastel that build up the sitter's likeness. The soft, diffused light and delicate rendering of the face contribute to the sitter's idealized beauty, reflecting the Rococo aesthetic that dominated French art. We can read her coy smile as the marker of her upper class status. As art historians, we can use historical sources such as letters, diaries, and period documents, to understand the role of portraiture in constructing social identities. Art's meaning is always dependent on social and institutional context.