The Elder Sister, reduction (La soeur aînée, réduction)
William Bouguereau
European Art
An academic painter who had achieved great success in the Paris Salon with mythological, historical, and religious subjects, Bouguereau later turned to genre scenes such as this image of a young woman caring for her younger brother. Although the figures are defined as siblings in the title, Bouguereau evokes the Madonna and Child with a tender pose—much like that seen in the altarpieces on the opposite wall—and the Catholic rosary beads in the child’s hand. Moreover, scholars have linked Bouguereau’s composition and the dark, dreamy look of the girl to the Sistine Madonna by Raphael. Bouguereau’s works appealed to a middle-class clientele—both French and American—that cherished Christian and domestic values. This “reduction” is one of at least two known versions that Bouguereau painted after a larger subject displayed in the Salon of 1867.
MEDIUM
Oil on panel
DATES
ca. 1864
DIMENSIONS
21 7/8 x 17 15/16 in. (55.6 x 45.6 cm)
Frame: 29 3/4 x 25 1/2 x 4 1/2 in. (75.6 x 64.8 x 11.4 cm) (show scale)
SIGNATURE
Signed lower right on chest: "W Bouguereau"
COLLECTIONS
European Art
MUSEUM LOCATION
This item is not on view
ACCESSION NUMBER
21.99
CREDIT LINE
Bequest of William H. Herriman
RIGHTS STATEMENT
No known copyright restrictions
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CAPTION
William Bouguereau (French, 1825-1905). The Elder Sister, reduction (La soeur aînée, réduction), ca. 1864. Oil on panel, 21 7/8 x 17 15/16 in. (55.6 x 45.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Bequest of William H. Herriman, 21.99 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 21.99_PS9.jpg)
IMAGE
overall, 21.99_PS9.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2015
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