Portrait of a Young Woman, said to be Gabrielle de Caraman, Marquise de la Fare

Portrait of a Young Woman, Said to Be Gabrielle de Caraman, Marquise de la Fare (c. 1770), at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is an informal portrait that captures the sitter with Fragonard's characteristic freshness and spontaneity. The identification of the sitter as the Marquise de la Fare remains uncertain, but the portrait's warm palette and fluid brushwork create a compelling image of aristocratic beauty and vivacity. The painting exemplifies Fragonard's ability to invest even conventional portrait subjects with the energy and charm that distinguish his work from more formal contemporary portraiture.

The luminous handling of the face contrasts with the more broadly brushed costume and background. The warm palette and confident paint application create a vivid sense of the sitter's personality and social presence.