Self portrait in a Straw Hat,, Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun; oil on canvas, roughly 39 x 28 in. (99 x 70 cm); within the assortment of the Nationwide Gallery, London. There’s a excessive decision picture out there from this web page on Wikipedia.

Vigée Le Brun was a famend 18th centry portait painter. Her topics included the queen, Marie Antoinette, who thought of Vigée Le Brun to be her favourite portraitest.

Vigée Le Brun is believed to have flattered her sitters — not unusual amongst portrait artists — however whether or not that was the case right here, I don’t know. It was probably a moot level, as she was reportedly fairly lovely.

I feel it’s a beautiful portrait. Have a look at the delicacy of the modeling, the sunshine beneath the chin and the greens within the pores and skin tones.

There’s a pencil and examine for the portrait — with the top in a barely completely different place — within the assortment of the Metropolitan Museum of Artwork in NY (photographs above, second from backside).

Vigée Le Brun is quoted as saying she was impressed to do a self portrait on this motif after seeing Peter Paul Rubens’ portrait of Susanna Lunden (photographs above, backside).