L'amour frivole

Jacques-Firmin Beauvarlet after Pierre-Antoine Baudouin

National Gallery of Art

This print shows a woman seated in a decorated room. She is in the center of the print, leaning back in her chair with her head and body angled to the right, her eyes closed. One of her feet rests on the ground, while another rests on a cushioned footrest on the right. She has pale skin and curly hair and wears a long dress with a very low neckline that partially reveals her breasts. On top of her hair is a large floral hat or headpiece, and there are more flowers on the bodice of her dress. A man leans in through an open window on the right, reaching towards the woman with a long, thin object, and appears to use it to hook a thin shawl that she has around her shoulders. He has pale skin and short, curled hair, and wears a formal jacket. Next to the woman is a table with a mirror and a pin cushion and a few small boxes. In the bottom right corner is an open box revealing a hat with several feathers and ribbons, and on the left a piece of clothing has been draped over a chair. An open book lays on the ground next to the woman, as if she dropped it while dozing off. In the top left corner is tall set of drawers topped by a decorated clock, and on the wall above it is a round framed painting. Curtains line the paneled wall on the right next to the window.