The fairy tale story of the famous painting by Lyotard: "The Chocolate Girl", which became a princess

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

A portrait of a neatly dressed young woman, gracefully holding a tray of hot chocolate and a glass of water, is one of the most famous works of the Swiss artist Jean-Etienne Lyotard and one of the most delightful paintings in the Dresden Gallery. And the history of this picture is no less interesting.

Artist biography

Jean-Etienne Lyotard (1702 - 1789) was a Swiss painter and pastel master best known for his pastel portraits in gentle colors. A citizen of the Republic of Geneva, he was born and died in Geneva, but spent most of his career in the capitals of Europe, where his portraits enjoyed great success thanks to his naturalistic style, accurate detailing and refined pastel technique. In addition, Lyotard worked in Rome, Istanbul, Paris, Vienna, London and other cities.

Lyotard's painting style reflected a deeply gentle, charming and realistic representation of objects in the paintings. Later, by the age of 79, having settled in his native Geneva, the artist wrote "A Treatise on the Art of Painting", in which he argued that painting should be a mirror of nature. This author's conviction is noticeable in his portraits, still lifes and later landscapes. The Chocolate Girl is one of his most famous works and “the most beautiful pastel”. Lyotard wrote The Chocolate Girl in 1743-1745 during his stay in Vienna at the court of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. This was the time of French Rococo, which influenced Lyotard's art to reflect the pastel painting in which this charming work was performed.

What do Shokoladnitsa and Cinderella have in common?

The background of the painting is similar to Charles Perrault's tale of Cinderella. Legend has it that the girl in the photograph, Anna Baltauf, lived in Vienna and worked as a servant in one of the chocolate shops that were at their peak throughout Europe during the 18th century. As the daughter of an impoverished Viennese knight, she had little chance of a successful future, but in the summer of 1745, the young Austrian prince Dietrichstein visited the store. The prince fell in love with Anna and asked her to marry him. Despite the objections of his family, "Chocolate Girl" became a princess. As a wedding present for his bride, the prince commissioned the portrait from Lyotard, an artist at the Viennese court. In the picture, Anna is shown exactly in the dress that was on her when her future husband first saw her.

There is a second, more mundane version of the painting: it is quite possible that the heroine is one of the courtiers of the Vienna palace, who amazed Lyotard, who was serving there, with her beauty.

The plot of the picture

The master managed to show such a common scene - the serving of a chocolate drink - as a gorgeous ritual. The maid Anna is modestly dressed in a pale pink bohemian bonnet. Her neckline is covered with a shawl and her apron is tied at the waist. A white shawl covers her shoulders, and a pleated linen apron tied around her waist falls over a long blue satin skirt whose folds glisten. The young maid's eyes are downcast, they are patiently waiting for breakfast to be served. Expensive dishes in the form of porcelain decorated with Indian flowers, a glossy varnished tray, expensive chocolate available only to a select few, reflect all the luxury of the morning for the person to whom the heroine is going to take breakfast. In Lyotard's exquisite pastels, biscuits lie on a silver saucer to compensate for the bitter taste of chocolate. For the same purpose, there is a glass filled with water on the tray.

Technique

The pastel is written on parchment at an extremely high (90%) concentration of pigment, which allows for the durability and intensity of the colors and the ability to reflect the desired textures. Thanks to the masterful technique, viewers can enjoy the most delicate tones and impeccable quality even after 280 years. The picture is almost devoid of shadows, with a pale background. The light from the window is reflected in a glass of water. This masterpiece is painted in halftones and is perfectly modeled using pastels on parchment.

Commercial role of "Shokoladnitsa"

This magnificent piece of art has served as the inspiration for the commercial sales of chocolate. In 1881, Henry L. Pearce, president of the Baker's Chocolate, visited a painting at the Dresden Art Gallery and was fascinated by it. He immediately registered La Belle Chocolatière as one of the first trademarks in the United States, and since then the image of the "Chocolate Girl" has adorned the company's boxes and packaging. The original portrait of Princess Dietrichstein, the Chocolate Girl, still hangs in the Dresden Gallery, where it remains one of the museum's most popular attractions. The Shokoladnitsa made a huge impact in its time - it is considered the most beautiful pastel ever written by modern - and remains significant and valuable today.