Gérard de Lairesse

A young woman confidently returns the gaze of the artist, who tenderly captures her likeness. Carefully executed using red and black chalk, this is a portrait of the artist’s wife, Marie Salme, made soon after their marriage. Lairesse patiently transcribed Marie’s clothing, her smooth complexion, the folds of her headdress, and even the delicate veil covering her forehead. Most unusually for an early modern portrait, the artist also chose to include the birthmark on his wife’s left cheek-a detail that enhances the drawing’s sense of intimacy and unedited realism.