Tête de jeune femme

This tête de jeune femme from around 1775 is a quintessential example of the expressive female heads that were Greuze's most commercially successful product. These works, typically depicting young women with upturned eyes and parted lips, were collected throughout Europe and endlessly reproduced in prints. Characteristic of the artist's mature approach, the work displays theatrically posed figures, expressive faces registering emotion with unsubtle directness, a palette ranging from Rococo pastels in early works to colder, more sober tones after the Revolution.

Soft, luminous modeling of the face contrasts with more broadly painted drapery, creating the characteristic Greuze effect of radiant youth emerging from a warm, atmospheric background.