Jane Jarvis (1830–31): Art, History and Details

Jane Jarvis (1830–31) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection. The museum's creator attribution is Paul Delaroche (French, 1797–1856).

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This portrait of an English woman named Jane Jarvis probably shows her not too long after the death of her father. Her jet black jewels are French, but her low-neck dress, which represents the last stage of the mourning period, could be French or English. With his pastels, Delaroche created a dashingly decorative image that highlights and complements the elaborate dress depicted. The large Renaissance-style hat seems to float against the creamy blues and beiges of the background. Below, the chalky pastel describes the particular appearance of the arms seen through the gauzy material of the sleeves, and energetic stray lines around the body add an ornamental flourish of technical virtuosity.

Object facts

• Title: Jane Jarvis
• Date: 1830–31
• Creator attribution: Paul Delaroche (French, 1797–1856)
• Culture: France, 19th century
• Type: Drawing
• Technique: pastel, heightened with white gouache on tan woven paper, mounted to board
• Dimensions: Sheet: 46.2 x 34.3 cm (18 3/16 x 13 1/2 in.)
• Collection: DR - French
• Department: Drawings
• Accession number: 2008.348

Collection credit

Bequest of Muriel Butkin

Further reading listed by the museum

• Alpine Club Gallery. French 19th Century Paintings: 23rd March-6th April 1977. London: The Alpine Club Gallery, 1977.
• Rohowsky, Peter S. French Nineteenth Century Drawings, Pastels, Watercolors: Nov. 1977-Feb. 1978. New York: Shepherd Gallery Associates, 1977.
• Foster, Carter E., Sylvain Bellenger, and Patrick Shaw Cable. French Master Drawings from the Collection of Muriel Butkin. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2001.

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.