Portrait of Susanna Lunden, wearing wide-brimmed hat with feathers
Original title: Portrait of Susanna Lunden, wearing wide-brimmed hat with feathers
kurzbeschreibung
Unlike many portraits of its time, this print calls attention to a broad-brimmed, feather-trimmed hat, from under which Susanna Lunden looks out. Louis Philibert Debucourt made the bust-length image between 1809 and 1835 as an etching with aquatint and roulette, later hand-colored. Against a dark ground, the sitter stands out clearly.
Description
She meets the viewer directly; on her head sits a wide-brimmed hat with feathers. Her hair is gathered into a loose knot. Over a white shirt she wears a dress with a black bodice adorned with orange flowers. Bright facial features, blue eyes, and a slightly open mouth define her face. A plain, dark background makes the figure all the more distinct. At the bottom edge of the sheet, the name 'Madlle Lundens' appears in elegant script.
Context
Debucourt, a French printmaker, gained fame with his color prints. The portrait dates from the first half of the 19th century, when aquatint and roulette opened fresh expressive possibilities in printmaking. Little is known about Susanna Lunden; the name points to a private individual who served as a model.
Impact
The contrast between dark background and light skin gives the sitter strong presence. The hand-applied colors lend the sheet a painterly note that goes beyond mere reproduction.
Technique
The print is based on an etching, supplemented by aquatint and roulette, and then hand-colored. Aquatint provides soft tonal transitions, while roulette adds a fine grain in the shadows. Targeted color accents come from the hand-coloring, for instance in the flowers and the face.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)