Study of a woman

This fine painting is unpublished and cannot be identified in the list of his paintings compiled by David himself in 1817. However, its superb and confident draftsmanship, rich and subtle handling and characteristic execution in scumbled glazes of varying density make an attribution to Jacques-Louis David convincing. Judging from the model’s loose chemise in the Antique taste and fashionable hairstyle, with its intricately arranged finger-curls shaped into cedilla accents, the present painting probably dates to circa 1800-10.