Portret van een oudere Dame.

This 1779 portrait of an elderly woman, now in Museum Gouda in the Netherlands, belongs to the late phase of Liotard's career, when he was in his early seventies and had returned to his native Geneva after decades of travel across Europe, Turkey, England, and the Low Countries. Dutch and Flemish portraiture had long celebrated older sitters with a directness and respect for age that differed from the relentless youth-celebration of French court painting, and Liotard's portrait of an elderly Dutch lady participates in this tradition. Museum Gouda, which holds a significant collection of Dutch Golden Age and later Netherlandish art, acquired this work as part of its regional artistic heritage mission. Late Liotard portraits are characterised by an even greater economy of means—the pastel-like precision that defined his work now applied to aged features with a sobriety that transcended the decorative charm of his earlier Rococo confections.

Oil on canvas in Liotard's late manner: the aged sitter's skin requires different technical handling than his earlier youthful portraits—more attention to the mapping of wrinkles and the translucency of aged skin, achieved through fine, careful brushwork that preserves the individuality of every feature.