Study of a Boy

Study of a Boy from around 1640 reveals Wautier's skill in figure studies, a foundational practice usually associated with male artists who had access to life drawing academies. Wautier's ability to produce such studies testifies to her serious artistic training, likely received from her brother Charles, also a painter. Characteristic of the artist's mature approach, the work displays monumental religious and mythological subjects, Rubenesque figure types with independent psychological strength, rich Baroque color and dramatic lighting.

The study captures the boy's features with naturalistic directness, the flesh tones rendered with warm confidence and the expression observed with careful attention to individual character.