Lady with Orange Shawl and Hat

Pierre-Charles Hénard worked as a miniature painter in France, in England and in the United States. His portrait of a lady in a cream gown with an orange shawl is typical of his work in several respects. The English influence is particularly obvious in the thin and quick modelling of the sitter’s face. The background, which is painted in dark gouache shades, is interrupted by two light-coloured areas showing intimated park scenery with trees. Hénard often represented his sitters with the head at a slight angle, and large, expressive eyes. The coloured shawl with two reddish brown stripes is an element which is also found in several of Hénard’s miniatures.¹ At around 1792 small hats had become fashionable again. They were decorated with tulle, bows, lace and/or flowers. In this miniature, the lady’s cream hat is adorned with a large black bow which stands out against the dark background due to its tenderly applied highlights. Since the lady’ s face immediately attracts the view of the observer, the erotic component of the picture – the lady’s bare pale breast which seems to merge with her gown – becomes visible only at second glance.
J. S. O.