Artwork Page for Madame Greuze Asleep

Details / Information for Madame Greuze Asleep

Madame Greuze Asleep

1776

Jean-Michel the Younger Moreau

(French, 1741–1814)

after Jean-Baptiste Greuze

(French, 1725–1805)
Culture
France, 18th century
Medium
etching and engraving
Credit Line
Delia E. Holden Fund 1980.23
Catalogue raisonné
Bocher 251
State
IV/IV
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Presented as an allegorical figure of philosophy, a woman slumbers among the traditional trappings of a scholar’s study: a writing desk with feather pen, piles of books, and a celestial globe. The model was Anne-Gabrielle Babuti, wife of Jean-Baptiste Greuze, who prepared the original drawing for Moreau to replicate. Contracts with printmakers show that Anne-Gabrielle actively participated in the production of her husband’s work for the print market. Although she appears mild here, Anne-Gabrielle had a reputation for being greedy and promiscuous. Greuze filed for divorce when it became legal in 1793, claiming that his wife “carried adultery to the point of shamelessness, cynicism to the point of unimaginable insolence.”
A vertically oriented etching depicts a woman with light skin tone, Madame Greuze, asleep in a chair. Her body angles toward our right, head tilted back with her mouth slightly open. Dressed in a ruffled cap and gown, she has a small monkey resting on her lap. To our left, a table holds a globe and books above an embroidery hoop. Text at the bottom reads, "LA PHILOSOPHIE ENDORMIE."

Madame Greuze Asleep

1776

Jean-Michel the Younger Moreau, Jean-Baptiste Greuze

(French, 1741–1814), (French, 1725–1805)
France, 18th century

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