Half-length Portrait of a Seated Woman

About the Artwork

Cochin was one of the great portraitists of the 18th century because he made many drawings of some of the most prominent men and women of his time. Typically, his portrait drawings show the sitter in profile, like a bust on a coin or medal. However, toward the end of his life, he began to favor the half-length format we see here. Although he signed and dated this sheet, he unfortunately did not inscribe it with the sitter's name. Recently, two related drawings showing similarly dressed women seated in the same chair we see here sold at auction in Paris. All three sheets probably depict members of the same family.

Inscriptions

signed, lower center, in black chalk: C. N. Cochin f. delin. 1781

Provenance

["Collection de M. A. F. . . ." (Focqué or Foché, according to annotated copy, National Gallery of Art, Washington), Hôtel Drouot, Paris (4 May 1906), 15, no. 23, repr.]. Marius Paulme (Lugt 1910, lower left, in black ink); [his sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris (13 May 1929), 47, no. 48, pl. 36]. ["The Property of a Lady," Christie's, London (8 December 1976), 32, no. 118, pl. 39]; purchased in 1976.

Exhibition history

French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 26-October 28, 2001); Dahesh Museum of Art (February 19-May 18, 2002).

Data retrieved from the Cleveland Museum of Art on October 8, 2026. The museum may have updated its record since.

Quick Overview

Artist: Charles-Nicolas Cochin (French, 1715–1790)
Date: 1781
Medium: black chalk
Dimensions: Sheet: 16.5 x 11.4 cm (6 1/2 x 4 1/2 in.); Secondary Support: 25.3 x 20.2 cm (9 15/16 x 7 15/16 in.)
Type: Drawing
Classification: Drawing
Department: Drawings
Credit line: Bequest of Muriel Butkin
Accession no.: 2008.393

More by Charles-Nicolas Cochin in museum collections

Funeral for Marie-Thérèse of Spain, Dauphine of France, in the Church of Nôtre Dame, Paris, on November 24, 1746
Charles-Nicolas Cochin
c. 1746 · Drawing
Public collection via the Cleveland Museum of Art
AT-00011115