Portrait of Isabelle Lemonnier with a Muff
Édouard Manet·1879
Historical Context
Portrait of Isabelle Lemonnier with a Muff (1879), at the Dallas Museum of Art, is one of several portraits Manet made of Isabelle Lemonnier, the daughter of a prominent Paris jeweller and sister-in-law of the publisher Georges Charpentier. Manet was captivated by Isabelle and wrote her a series of illustrated letters; his repeated portraiture of her reflects both personal attachment and sustained artistic interest in a particular physiognomy and personality. The muff identifies the portrait as a winter or autumn subject and adds a tactile, intimate accessory that Manet renders with characteristic material attention alongside the warmth it implies.
Technical Analysis
The muff provides a soft, enveloping mass at the lower portion of the composition that Manet contrasts with the more sharply observed face above. His handling of the fur or fabric surface of the muff exploits the textural range of his late brushwork, using varied strokes to suggest material quality without literal description. The overall composition focuses on Isabelle's distinctive face and expression.
