Portrait Of A Young Woman With A Cat, After Marguerite Gérard

French School, c. 1800

Portrait of a Young Woman with a Cat, after *Le Triomphe de Minette* by Marguerite Gérard; oil on canvas

Dimensions with frame: 35 x 29 cm

Dimensions of the painting: 29 x 19 cm

This portrait of a young woman holding a cat close to her directly draws on the famous *Le Triomphe de Minette* by Marguerite Gérard (1761–1837), a composition created in the 1780s and quickly disseminated through engravings.

However, our painting does not appear to be a mere copy. Rather, the young woman’s distinctive features suggest that this is a genuine portrait, painted a few years after Gérard’s original work. The patron likely chose to be depicted in a composition that was then in vogue, borrowing an immediately recognizable pose from a well-known work.

This practice attests to the circulation of artistic models in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, particularly through printmaking. The success of Marguerite Gérard’s scenes—which focused on domestic intimacy, emotions, and pets—allowed her compositions to become true iconographic models.

Beyond its endearing quality, this portrait thus serves as an interesting testament to the popularity of Marguerite Gérard’s work and its influence on portraiture around 1800.