The Little Schoolmistress
An older girl and a younger child, both with pale skin, bend toward each other as they look at a book spread open on a wooden cupboard in this nearly square painting. Shown from the hips up to our right, the girl leans over the cupboard with her body facing our left in profile. She looks at the child peering over the low ledge at the back of the cupboard with her head tilted slightly in that direction. The older girl has a straight, delicate nose, her smooth cheeks are flushed, and her rosy-red lips are pursed. Her brown hair is tucked under a bright white, ruffled cap encircled with a gold and cranberry-red ribbon. The long sleeves of the muted sapphire-blue dress seem to have been rolled back along the forearms to reveal cascading, white cuffs. A translucent white neckerchief, like a short, full scarf, is tucked into an ivory-white apron that also covers the flaring skirt. With both hands on the open book, she points to one page with a metal pointer like a knitting needle. Facing us, the smaller child looks at the book from behind the wood cupboard, eyes downcast, resting one forearm on the surface and pointing to a detail in the book. The child has delicate brows, a short, wide nose, and full raspberry-red lips are closed. The padded cap the child wears covers the ears and is loosely painted with a pattern of honey brown, silvery white, and slate blue. The nutmeg-brown sleeves are pushed back along the forearm and there are white cuffs or sleeves beneath. The cupboard has two diamond-shaped, iron-gray metal pulls in front. Light illuminating the pair from our left creates a greenish glow on the tawny-brown background behind them.
Details
- Palette
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Select a color to find related artworks.
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- overall: 58.3 x 74 cm (22 15/16 x 29 1/8 in.) framed: 80 x 95.9 x 11.4 cm (31 1/2 x 37 3/4 x 4 1/2 in.)
- Department
- CF
- Holding institution
- National Gallery of Art
- Image provider
- national-gallery-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Art Genome Taxonomy
9 tags
Subject Matter
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Childhood Both · 99%
The title and catalog description identify an older girl and a younger child; the image visibly presents two youthful figures engaged in a lesson.
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Human Figure Visual · 99%
Two recognizable human figures dominate the composition, shown from approximately the hips upward with differentiated faces, clothing, postures, and gestures.
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Scenes of Everyday Life Both · 96%
The figures bend over an open book in an ordinary instructional setting, consistent with a scene of daily life rather than a formal portrait.
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Representations of Everyday Objects Both · 95%
An open book is the central object of attention, and the wooden cupboard and metal pulls are plainly visible everyday objects within the scene.
Styles and Movements
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Figurative Art Both · 99%
The image is representational, depicting identifiable figures, clothing, furniture, and a book; the catalog classifies the object as a painting.
Visual Qualities
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Earth Tones Visual · 97%
The palette is dominated by warm browns, tawny and olive tones, muted blue, cream, and white, with restrained red and gold accents.
Medium and Techniques
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Oil Painting Metadata · 99%
The catalog identifies the medium as oil on canvas.
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Painting Metadata · 99%
The museum classification identifies the object as a painting.
Time Periods
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18th Century Art Metadata · 98%
The National Gallery of Art dates the work as “after 1740,” placing it within the eighteenth century.
Source & rights
Jean Siméon Chardin. The Little Schoolmistress. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.