Adele Grasset, woman artist: a Romantic Beauty, 1836 Madame Arthus

This beautiful portrait is a rare signed work by French 19th Century woman artist Adèle Grasset (active ca 1830-1850).As  often with woman artists of the 18th and 19th century, there is little biographical information available on   Adèle Grasset. We do know however, that she had studied with the highly prominent artist  François "Baron" Gérard (1770-1837). 
Adèle Grasset is particularly famed for her portrait of the poet Louise Colet, Gustave Flaubert's lover. Another painting by Adèle Grasset, a portrait of Canova, is in Versailles Castle. 

Drawn in charcoal and heightened with white for the lace, it depicts a young woman called Madame Arthus. It dates from the French  "romantic period", the 1820s-30s. It was then that the ladies Arthus and Seguin families of Avignon had their portaits drawn by Adèle Grasset, and I was fortunate enough to acquire them. You may view a study (?) of the present work in a separate listing, as well as portraits of another family member, Mme Seguin.

Measured without its frame, the size of the drawing is 29.5 x 23 cm