18th Century Pastel Oval Portrait of a Lady

A charming late 18th century pastel oval portrait depicting a young lady as Venus holding an arrow.

Set within a carved oval giltwood frame.

From the late 1770s this is a portrait of a woman who is alluding to a Classical goddess; in this case Venus. The arrow references the love story between Venus and Adonis, which was when Cupid’s arrow grazes Venus and she then turns and sees Adonis and falls helplessly and hopelessly in love. One particular artist seems to shine through as a source of influence: François Boucher. He was a major French painter of the period and was a key artist in the development of sensuality in art in France.