3-015-798 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Artist's Wife In His Studio, c1795-99. A young woman, traditionally identified as Boilly’s wife, examines a large portfolio amid the clutter of the artist’s studio, which includes an unpainted canvas, a plaster cast of a hand, and sculptures by other artists. She looks up from her task as if either she or we have intruded. The violin hanging from the back of the chair hints at the relationship between artist and sitter—musical instruments sometimes appear in paintings as symbols of romantic love.