Cupid holding his arrow, Attributed to Jeanne Élisabeth Chaudet (1761-1832)

Attributed to Jeanne Élisabeth CHAUDET
(Paris, 1761 – Paris, 1832)

Cupid holding his arrow

Oil on oval canvas
33 x 26.5 cm

Élisabeth Chaudet, born Gabiou in Paris on January 23, 1767, was a French painter active at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries. Trained in a context where female artists struggled to achieve recognition, she nevertheless made a name for herself thanks to the finesse of her portraits and allegorical scenes, often imbued with tenderness and elegance.
The wife of the neoclassical sculptor Antoine-Denis Chaudet, Élisabeth Chaudet moved within a prominent artistic circle during the Consulate and the Empire. She exhibited several works at the Salon, notably portraits of children, mythological figures, and religious compositions. Her delicate and precise style is in keeping with the neoclassical tradition while retaining her own distinctive sensibility, marked by emotion and intimacy.
Élisabeth Chaudet died on April 18, 1832, in Paris.

This delicate portrait depicts a young Cupid emerging from the clouds, his cheek rosy and his mischievous gaze turned toward the viewer. His shoulder is encircled by a blue ribbon, and he holds an arrow in his hand, a traditional attribute of the god of love. The gentle atmosphere and the finesse of the modeling attest to the neoclassical sensibility of Élisabeth Chaudet, an artist renowned for her portraits of children and mythological figures. The composition blends childlike grace and celestial lightness, in a refined style typical of the post-revolutionary era.
Another version of our painting, very similar and signed by Élisabeth Chaudet, is known, allowing this attribution.

Museums: Ajaccio, Arras, Fontainebleau, Paris (Louvre Museum, Marmottan Museum), Florence, Rome, Arenenberg…