Young Girl with a Basket, 18th Century French School

French School, 18th century, circle of Bernard Lépicié (1735–1784)
Young Girl with a Basket

Black chalk with white highlights on blue paper (laid down)
Old attribution to Lépicié inscribed on the verso of the previous mount.

36.5 x 27 cm

Provenance:
Private collection

This drawing, attributed to Bernard Lépicié, delicately reflects the understated elegance of 18th-century French art. The son of the engraver François-Bernard Lépicié, Bernard appears to have been influenced by painters such as François Boucher and Jean-Baptiste Greuze, both renowned for their tender and emotive scenes.

Young Girl with a Basket captures a moment of daily life with great finesse. The use of black chalk heightened with white brings relief and depth, while the blue paper — much prized in the 18th century — enhances the luminous harmony of the composition.

The girl’s slightly inclined posture and downward gaze suggest modesty, perhaps even a natural grace. The attention to detail in her hair, dress, and basket reveals the draughtsman's skill in rendering textures and movement.

In spirit, this drawing is close to the works of Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, evoking the century’s fondness for simple, intimate scenes executed with both precision and sensitivity.