Jacques-Louis David
The tumultuous events of the early French Revolution make it difficult to pinpoint the exact date of Jacques-Louis David’s warm and fresh portrait of Adélaïde de Pastoret. These events likely also explain the painting's unfinished state. At the time, David was a prominent Neoclassical painter and a passionate revolutionary, while Madame de Pastoret was married to a staunch royalist. The sittings must have taken place after the birth of her son in early 1791, who is depicted sleeping by her side, and before her brief imprisonment during the Reign of Terror in 1792. In this work, David completed the stippled, nearly monochromatic underpainting but did not achieve the stark, enamel-smooth finish typical of his completed pieces; he didn't even manage to place a needle and thread in Madame de Pastoret’s hand. Despite its unfinished nature, this large portrait of simple domesticity captures the youthful mother with both charm and dignity, showcasing David's talent as a portraitist. Due to her objections to David’s revolutionary ideals, however, Madame de Pastoret (who became the Marquise de Pastoret in 1817) refused to accept the painting during the artist's lifetime. After David's death, she arranged for her now-adult son to purchase the portrait from his estate.
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P.P.S. See how Jacques-Louis David painted the French Revolution! The artist was a great supporter of the movement and his paintings can be viewed as part of its visual propaganda.