Alexandrine-Sophie de Bawr

Boilly was a master of trompe l’oeil imagery as seen in this painting, which at first glance looks like a print. The composition follows the conventions of a medallion portrait print, where the date and artist’s signature appear directly below the oval image. To complete his illusion, Boilly worked in grisaille (tones of black and gray) and painted a plate mark at the edges of the canvas to mimic the indentation in the paper that a copper printing plate makes when it is put through a press. A musicologist and prolific playwright, Alexandrine-Sophie de Bawr (1773–1860) was one of the few women to be elected to the prestigious Comédie Française. Though she was relatively unknown at the time this portrait was painted, Boilly asserted her future fame by depicting her like an established celebrity whose likeness circulated in prints. Her short haircut, named à la Titus, after the Roman emperor, was fashionable during the Napoleonic empire.