Madame Grand (Noël Catherine Verlée, 1761–1835)

Vigée Le Brun painted Madame Grand around 1783, depicting the courtesan Noël Catherine Verlée — later Madame de Talleyrand — in one of her most elegant and technically accomplished portrait compositions. Grand was one of the most celebrated beauties of pre-Revolutionary Paris, and Vigée Le Brun's portrait captures the luminous complexion and confident bearing that had made her reputation. The work's technical brilliance — the warm skin tones, the delicate rendering of the white dress against the warm background, the intelligent gaze — demonstrates the qualities that made Vigée Le Brun the most sought-after portraitist of Ancien Régime female beauty.

Vigée Le Brun employs her signature luminous technique, with pearly skin tones set off by masses of powdered blonde hair. The softly modeled features and warm lighting create an image of idealized beauty that established the artist's international reputation.