Mme L . . . (Laure Borreau)1863 · Study 1962.2

Context from the museum

Gustave Courbet painted four portraits of Madame Laure Borreau; this is the last and most highly developed. As a realist, Courbet aimed to represent what he saw in the visible, tangible world. He represented Madame Borreau in a black silk dress embellished with lace and a matching hat. Gold and violet lights of sunset softly illuminate the background. However, the portrait is not idealized. Courbet’s inclusion of her shadowed eyes and full-fleshed neck prompted one critic to write, “I daresay in nature she may be very pretty, but in Courbet’s picture she is nothing less than offensive.”

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

Courbet once wrote of Laure Borreau, the sitter in this portrait, "I am in love with a splendid lady, the driving force behind my triumph."

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Mme L . . . (Laure Borreau) is 61.2 cm wide and 81 cm high, equivalent to approximately 24.1 × 31.9 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.76:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.50 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 20.4% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 119.4 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Mme L . . . (Laure Borreau) in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on fabric, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 61.2 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?