Marie-Denise Villers' Self-Portrait at the Louvre

Marie-Denise Villers (1774-1821), a Neoclassical painter from Paris, created 'Self-Portrait' in 1802, which is currently displayed at the Louvre. This oil on canvas, sized 1.46 m by 1.14 m, shows the 28-year-old artist resting on a bench while tying her shoe after a stroll in the countryside, dressed in a black silk skirt, red silk bodice, white chemise, and a black lace shawl. Villers, a student of Jacques-Louis David, made her debut at the Paris Salon in 1799. Although first exhibited in 1802, the painting was misnamed 'Portrait of Madame Soustra' due to Villers using Marie-Louise Soustras as a model. The Louvre has confirmed its true identity. Villers often faced misattribution of her works to David, leading to her relative obscurity until the 1990s. Her 'Portrait of Marie Joséphine Charlotte du Val d’Ognes' (1801) is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting skillfully merges portrait and genre styles, highlighting Villers' expertise in fabric and skin depiction, with the lace shawl showcasing intricate transparency. The background hints at a rural landscape, likely in Normandy, far from Paris.