A Girl with a Kitten
- Artist: Jean-Baptiste Perronneau
- Date: 1743
- Medium: pastel on blue paper, mounted on canvas
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is the "A Girl with a Kitten" by Jean-Baptiste Perronneau. The picture is probably a portrait, albeit an idealised one, rather than a genre scene. Although it bears the artist's signature and the date 1745, some question whether this pastel is indeed by Perronneau.
The pigments in the pastels, the canvas, and the paper are all consistent with a work produced in the eighteenth century. However, given that Perronneau had won awards for his drawing skills earlier in his career, it's difficult to explain the poor draughtsmanship of this work at this stage.
Despite these uncertainties, the sitter is drawn with some skilled passages consistent with Perronneau's technique. The signature on the portrait is dubious compared to the artist's other works, but it's of the same date as the rest of the image. This pastel remains one of the most popular in our collection, and its appeal lies in its idealised portrayal of a young woman with her kitten.
Notice how Perronneau portrayed identified women and children holding pet animals during the later 1740s. His other works from this period show a higher level of skill and attention to detail, which makes this pastel stand out as an exception.
See it in person
A Girl with a Kitten hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
