id:			170439
accession number:	2012.56
share license status:	CC0
url:			https://clevelandart.org/art/2012.56
updated:		2023-08-24 00:56:52.114000

Portrait of the Artist's Children Emma and Paul, c. 1795. Jean-Antoine Laurent (French, 1763–1832). Watercolor on ivory, gold mount, set in the cover of a composition bonbonniere; diameter: 6.3 cm (2 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund 2012.56

title:				Portrait of the Artist's Children Emma and Paul
title in original language:	
series:				
series in original language:	
creation date:			c. 1795
creation date earliest:		1790
creation date latest:		1800
current location:		
creditline:			Norman O. Stone and Ella A. Stone Memorial Fund
copyright:			

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culture:	France, 18th century
technique:	watercolor on ivory, gold mount, set in the cover of a composition bonbonniere
department:	European Painting and Sculpture
collection:	P - French 18th Century
type:		Portrait Miniature
find spot:	
catalogue raisonne: 

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CREATORS

* Jean-Antoine Laurent (French, 1763–1832)  - artist

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measurements: Diameter: 6.3 cm (2 1/2 in.)
state of the work:	
edition of the work: 	

support materials:


inscriptions:

	inscription:	signed at mid-center "Laurent"
	translation:	
	remark:		

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CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

	title:		Disembodied: Portrait Minatures and their Contemporary Relatives
	opening date:   2013-11-10T00:00:00
	<i>Disembodied: Portrait Minatures and their Contemporary Relatives</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 10, 2013-February 16, 2014).

	title:		Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings
	opening date:   2016-07-16T04:00:00
	<i>Elegance and Intrigue: French Society in 18th-century Prints and Drawings</i>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (July 16-November 6, 2016).

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LEGACY EXHIBITIONS

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PROVENANCE

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fun fact:


digital description:
This sensitive depiction of his children exhibits Laurent's ability to portray the psychological interiority of his subjects, young or old. The miniature shows Laurent's son and daughter in white chemise gowns with green ribbon accents. They both have striking blue eyes and slightly curled blond hair. The younger sibling tenderly holds the arm of the older one, who sits on a chair strewn with pink rose petals and inscribed with the artist's signature. The children are placed within an environment in which green foliage sprouts small blue and purple flowers. This organic setting reflects 18th-century Western philosophies of natural child rearing, characterized by treating childhood as a period of innocence distinct from adulthood and advocating that children not be treated as miniature adults but instead should have their naiveté celebrated. This philosophy influenced children's clothing. Instead of dressing children as small adults in constrictive costumes, both genders wore loose chemises, like the ones seen here, that encouraged mobility.

wall description:

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RELATED WORKS

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CITATIONS

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IMAGES

web:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2012.56/2012.56_web.jpg
print:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2012.56/2012.56_print.jpg
full:	https://openaccess-cdn.clevelandart.org/2012.56/2012.56_full.tif