Portrait of a Woman

Early in his career, Gérôme painted several portraits of fashionable women, including this one of an unknown sitter. Although he did not enjoy portrait painting, he brought his skill as a draughtsman to the task: notice the subtle details of the dark clothing, offset by the brilliance of the lace and the cameo. Focusing on pose and facial expression, Gérôme produced a psychologically complex study of the sitter.