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Portrait of Dame Étiennette

Philippe de Champaigne1647

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

A middle-aged woman dressed in a coif and layers of plain white clothing--connoting the purposes of comfort and utility--faces the viewer for a portrait. Her direct gaze and slight smile imply that she knows the onlooker well, and in fact it is thought that she may have been a domestic in Phillippe de Champaigne's home. An inscription on the subject's laced bodice indicates this with an abbreviation: "Gardi," meaning "gardienne" or caretaker, beneath the name, "Dame Étiennette."

The manner in which this drawing is executed, with its veracity of observation and varied brushwork, conveys what must have been before the artist: subtle degrees of shadow and light and texture defining structures of bone, skin, and fabric. Soft, watery washes denote both shadows on the wall as well as the volume of the woman's figure. A dry-brush technique offers a tactile quality to what we see, from the linen cloth of the dress to the softness of aging skin.

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  • Title: Portrait of Dame Étiennette
  • Creator: Philippe de Champaigne
  • Date Created: 1647
  • Location Created: France
  • Physical Dimensions: 22.5 × 16.8 cm (8 7/8 × 6 5/8 in.)
  • Type: Drawing
  • External Link: Find out more about this object on the Museum website.
  • Medium: Brush and gray ink
  • Terms of Use: Open Content
  • Number: 2013.4
  • Culture: French
  • Credit Line: The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Purchased in part with funds provided by the Disegno Group
  • Creator Display Name: Philippe de Champaigne (French, 1602 - 1674)
  • Classification: Drawings (Visual Works)
The J. Paul Getty Museum

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