Jean-Baptiste Greuze

Research Status: Moderate Last Updated: 2025-01-23 Diary Coverage: Up to 1880-10-24

Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805) was a French painter known for his sentimental genre scenes and portraits of young women. His work epitomized the refined, graceful aesthetics of the 18th century that Marie so admires.

Greuze specialized in idealized portraits of young women and moralizing genre scenes that combined beauty with emotional narrative. His style featured:

• Soft, delicate rendering
• Emphasis on feminine beauty and virtue
• Sentimental, touching expressions
• Careful attention to costume and drapery

Marie specifically references dressing her model Mme Gredelue "en Greuze" - in a cream damask bodice with Indian muslin fichu - to capture the 18th century aesthetic she finds so exquisite.

When visiting the Louvre in October 1880, Marie expresses enchantment with paintings of the previous century, declaring she would love to "bury herself in the gauzes of Watteau and Greuze and the brocades of Rigaud" - finding that era charming and refined, with "all the ancient prestige" but already modern amenities like English-style dressing rooms.

Notable works:

• The Broken Pitcher (1771)
• Girl Weeping Over Her Dead Bird (1765)
• Numerous portraits of young women in sentimental poses