Study of a Woman’s Head

This study of a woman's head by Greuze, painted on wood around 1780, belongs to the late phase of his career when he produced numerous such studies for collectors. These idealized heads — sometimes called "fancy pictures" in English — represented virtue, innocence, or piety through generic but appealing female types. Though criticized by some as sentimental and repetitive, these works remained commercially successful and were widely reproduced in prints throughout Europe.

The oil-on-wood technique provides a smooth surface for Greuze's refined modeling of flesh. His signature treatment of eyes — large, liquid, and upturned — anchors the composition, while the brushwork becomes progressively looser toward the edges of hair and drapery.