Portrait de Madeleine Barberie de Courteilles

This 1759 portrait depicts Madeleine Barberie de Courteilles, reflecting Greuze's active portrait practice among the French aristocracy during the years following his Salon triumph. The work demonstrates that alongside his celebrated genre scenes, Greuze maintained a lucrative portrait business among wealthy patrons. 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.

The portrait combines fashionable elegance with naturalistic observation, the sitter's features rendered with careful attention to likeness while the costume and accessories are painted with fluid assurance.