La terrasse de la Villa Brancas (1876)

Bracquemond, Félix (1833-1914)

La terrasse de la Villa Brancas (The Terrace of the Villa Brancas)
1876
Etching on laid paper, 25.4 x 35.4 cm
Cleveland Museum of ArtCleveland

Here, two women are seated on a sunny terrace in the lush landscape at Sèvres. One figure, presumably Bracquemond’s wife, Marie, who was also an artist, draws the other, who is posed with an umbrella. The old porcelain manufactory and part of Bellevue is visible among the trees. The artist is alert and active, a pencil poised in her right hand, while the subject of her portrait demurely casts her gaze downward. Here, the 19th-century woman is depicted both in the midst of creating a work of art, and as the passive subject of one. (CMA)

See also:

BellevueMeudon | Bracquemond, Marie (1840-1916) | Quivoron, Louise (1949-?) | Sèvres (France)