Girl Minstrel
Artist
Gustave Jean Jacquet
(French, 1846 - 1909)
CultureFrench
Date1881
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions57 x 31 1/4 in. (144.8 x 79.4 cm)
Overall, Frame: 67 x 41 in. (170.2 x 104.1 cm)
Overall, Frame: 67 x 41 in. (170.2 x 104.1 cm)
InscribedSigned and dated.
Credit LineGift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr.
Object number71.2060
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 216
Label TextGustave Jean Jacquet French, 1846–1909 Girl Minstrel, 1881 Oil on canvas This dewy, wide-eyed girl steps out of the hazy background as if emerging from a dream. A disciple of William Bouguereau, Gustave Jean Jacquet perfected the tight, enameled brush technique seen here. The painting captures the predicament of a young waif who must fend for herself in a harsh world. Dressed in rags and rough homespun, she holds a hurdy-gurdy, a musical instrument long associated with gypsies and the lower classes. Although seemingly innocent, Jacquet’s sentimental subject is a pretext for presenting a suggestive image of a vulnerable young girl in need of rescue. Gift of Walter P. Chrysler, Jr. 71.2060 Exhibition History"Art Pompier: Anti-Impressionism, 19th Century French Salon Painting," The Emily Lowe Gallery, Hofstra University, Hempstead, Long Island, N.Y., October 22 - December 15, 1974. "Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. Published References_Art Pompier: Anti-Impressionism 19th Century French Salon Painting_, exh. cat., Emily Lowe Gallery, Hempstead, New York, 1974, no. 59. Eric M. Zafran, "Norfolk's Salon Masterworks Shine Again," _Fine Art Connoisseur_, November-December 2014, 50.
