Elizabeth Vigée-Lebrun:
Self-Portrait
- Oil on Canvas 1776
- 31 1/5 x 25 1/4 inches
- Fyvie Castle, Scotland
Vigée-Lebrun was a prolific artist, painting nearly 700 portraits in a career that extended almost 45 years. She enjoyed no private income, and worked mainly on private commissions. Nevertheless, she found time to paint an extensive series of self portraits. This is the first that has survived and been identified. Dated 1776, the artists is twenty-one years old, and already the style which was to distinguish her entire career is present. The soft, pleasant face, the delicate and muted palatte, and the formal pose, even in an informal setting.
