Édouard Manet (1832–1883)
1873
Oil paint on canvas
55.5 x 46.5 cm
Acquired by Oskar Reinhart in 1947
Marguerite de Conflans, the daughter of Édouard Manet’s school friend Fouet de Conflans, sat for this portrait when she was 17 years old. Perhaps inspired by her father’s collection of Spanish art, Manet painted her wearing a lace shawl, or mantilla – in reality, part of her white morning gown arranged around her head. The dramatic lighting and skilfully handled contrasts of black and white are also typical of Spanish painting, which Manet admired and frequently emulated in his own work.