Half Figure of a Woman

Art Historical Context

Thomas Blanchet's *Half Figure of a Woman (1660) is a delicate study in red chalk heightened with white, capturing the elegant profile of a woman in a poised half-length pose. Measuring just 10 9/16 x 6 1/4 inches, this drawing exemplifies the French Baroque artist's mastery of draftsmanship during the reign of Louis XIV. Blanchet (1614–1689), a Paris-trained painter who later worked in Lyon and Avignon, drew inspiration from Italian masters like Guercino, blending lines with a sense of volume and light. The red chalk, or sanguine, was a favored medium in 17th-century Europe for its warm, fle...