MET ML672: Food and Art

Even during Liotard's life (1702-1789) his pastel painting was highly valued, as the description by the most famous pastel artist Rosalba Carriera as 'the most beautiful pastel' demonstrates. The Chocolate Girl shows a simple, unknown domestic servant, until then a rarely chosen subject. In its sober and precise observation it reflects the art of the Enlightenment as well as anticipating the realism of the nineteenth century. Chocolate itself, always associated with pleasure, contributes further to the particular charm. Characteristic works from other creative periods complete the overview of Liotard's oeuvre"