Portrait of a Woman

About the Artwork

Béranger is known as an academic painter of genre subjects. This pastel study of a young woman with downcast eyes conveys a sense of vitality and immediacy lacking in his more highly finished works in oil. While the graceful features of her face are articulated with tender detail, the flowers adorning her hair are summarily indicated with a handful of rapid strokes, and her bodice is barely suggested.

Inscriptions

inscribed in orange pastel, center left: "Em. Béranger./ 1851"

Provenance

2008: Estate of Muriel Butkin Estate of Muriel Butkin

Exhibition history

Pure Color: Pastels from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 19, 2016-March 19, 2017).

Quick Overview

Artist: Jean-Baptiste-Antoine-Emile Béranger (French, 1814–1883)
Date: c. 1889–1899
Medium: pastel
Dimensions: Sheet: 68.9 x 50.2 cm (27 1/8 x 19 3/4 in.)
Type: Drawing
Classification: Drawing
Department: Drawings
Credit line: Bequest of Muriel Butkin
Accession no.: 2009.136

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