Mademoiselle Manthey
Artist
Paul Gauguin
(French, 1848–1903)
Date1884
Mediumpastel on medium, smooth gray-green wove paper.
Dimensions42.5 x 35.9 cm (sheet)
ClassificationsPastels
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number1921.5
Label TextSpiritual in nature and applauded for his sensitivity to color, Gauguin is also scorned for his mistreatment of friends and family. Within the scope of his art, he is often accused of the objectification of his subjects, particularly women. However, this pastel done only a year after Gauguin became a full-time artist, presents a thoughtful, even inquisitive young woman. Gauguin’s son Pola later identified her as the daughter of the French consul to Norway and Sweden. The striations on Manthey’s brim suggest she is wearing a trendy straw flower pot hat. By the 1880s hats with a wider brim were stylish among trendy women while bonnets became associated with modesty and motherhood.ProvenanceE.A. Lewis, LondonOn View
Not on view
