À propos de l’œuvre
Madame Louis Joachim Gaudibert, par Claude Monet
Claude Monet · Marguerite Gaudibert in full dress · Musée d'Orsay
Mrs. Louis Joachim Gaudibert W121hand painted reproduction
Marguerite Gaudibert stands in profile in an interior taut with blue. Her beige dress unfolds in a long triangular volume, animated by a red, green and black fabric worn around the waist. Monet combines the precision of a worldly portrait with a free painting of fabrics, flowers and reflections, four years before the first impressionist exhibition.
Look at the work
A life-size silhouette organized by the profile, dress and shawl
The model faces to the left, but her body remains almost frontal. The dark bust, white collar and light face stand out from the blue curtain. His hands retain the brightly colored fabric that runs through the composition and concentrates the most intense reds.
The wide beige skirt goes down to the lower edge and is extended by a train folded to the right. A small round table bears roses and dark accessories. The carpet and curtain close the space, making the succession of fabrics the true decoration of the portrait.
Social rank is expressed in the outfit and the interior, but the presence of the model arises above all from the movement of colors and fabrics.
Composition, touch and light
What Monet builds behind the impression of snapshot
Three precise elements allow us to understand this composition and the essential difficulties of faithful reproduction.
A monumental figure without stiffness
The very large format gives the model an almost life-size presence. The profile, the shift of the shoulders and the sliding of the train, however, introduce a movement which avoids ceremonial frontal pose.
The shawl as the chromatic center
Reds, greens, whites and blacks cross around the hands. This lively area connects the dark bodice to the light skirt and circulates the gaze between the face, the bouquet and the lower part.
Fabrics differentiated by the touch
The blue background appears more continuous, the velvet of the bodice absorbs light and the dress receives wide pinkish beige folds. Monet varies the gesture and the value to distinguish each material without overloading the details.
Reference image
Read this specific version
The image corresponds to the RF 1951 20 inventory of the Musée d'Orsay and Wildenstein number 121. The file of 1,576 × 2,691 px was kept at its native definition then encoded in WebP without oversampling.
The profile remains clear on the blue curtain
The face and hairstyle occupy a small, very precise area. Their contrast must remain measured so as not to isolate the head from the bodice and the large silhouette.
The skirt contains warm and cool tones
Beiges, pinks, grays and greens shape the folds. A uniform sand color would remove the weight of the fabric and the direction of the train.
The shawl requires a mastered colorful design
Its bands do not function as a flat decorative pattern: they follow the folds around the hands and waist, then break upon contact with the skirt.
Documented benchmarks
Three pieces of information specific to this work
Dated and signed Claude Monet 1868 lower right, this oil portrait on canvas measures 216.5 × 138.5 cm. It is kept at the Musée d'Orsay under the inventory RF 1951 20 and listed Wildenstein 121.
Marguerite Marcel, wife of Louis-Joachim Gaudibert
The Musée d'Orsay identifies the model as Marguerite Marcel, born in 1846 and died in 1877. She is represented in full length, three-quarters, in a bourgeois interior.
The portrait was requested from Monet on September 3, 1868
The provenance published by Orsay indicates that Louis Gaudibert commissioned the artist to paint a portrait of his wife. The work then remained in the Gaudibert family then Lamotte until its national acquisition.
Acquired in 1951 then assigned to the Musée d'Orsay in 1986
The National Museums purchased the painting with funds from an anonymous Canadian donation. It is attributed to the Louvre, exhibited at the Jeu de Paume, then joined the Musée d'Orsay when it opened.
Your reproduction
What the painter must preserve
Fidelity here depends on precise relationships between light, touch, depth and color temperature.
- Respect the profile and verticality of the silhouette.
- Preserve the shine of the shawl without detaching it from the dress.
- Differentiate between curtain, velvet, silk and carpet with the touch.
- Keep the long, heavy train toward the right edge.
Work sheet
| Title | Mrs. Louis Joachim Gaudibert W121 |
|---|---|
| Artist | Claude Monet (1840 -1926) |
| Date | 1868 |
| Original technique | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 216.5 × 138.5 cm |
| Orientation | Vertical |
| Conservation | Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France |
| Inventory | RF 1951 20 · Wildenstein 121 |
| Your reproduction | Handmade oil painting on canvas |
Presentation in your interior
A palette designed with the room
This monumental portrait is suitable for a high entrance, a classic living room or a library. A patinated gold, dark walnut or midnight blue frame accompanies the Second Empire character and brings out the red of the shawl as well as the delicate tones of the dress.
