Lady with Glove

Lady with Glove painting by William Bouguereau, dating back to 1870, is literally what its name suggests, a lady with just one glove, the other hand is bare.

The painting belongs to the public collection by Bouguereau.

The oil on canvas portrait painting with a Neoclassicism style has a very realistic look to it; the shadows in the painting come into play and magnificently enhance the shape of the subject’s face, neckline and collarbone.

The bright yellow and white satin gown of the subject gives a stark contrast to the black glove and helps it stand out more! The bold use of colours in the painting is one of its most impressive factors.

Throughout history, gloves have been an important part of paintings. Young or old, women belonging to the more privileged class of the society often sport gloves in paintings.

The symbolism of the glove in the painting is quite strong, it imbues the beautiful young woman or the subject with grace, opulence pride and dignity.

However, at the same time, there is a certain degree of imperfection or deficiency to it because of the singular glove.

The painting emphasizes on the single black glove as it is the only accessory worn by the lady in the painting, apart from a small earring and also the pivotal theme of the painting.

Born in the year 1825, William Bouguereau is a French academic painter who is most popular for his mythological-based paintings and realistic genre paintings such as Lady with Glove. He interprets classic subjects in his own way, by adding a modern twist to it. Bouguereau always emphasized on the female human body in his painting.

His style of painting was very much appreciated by rich art patrons of his time. His paintings and works play a significant role in creating an idealized world. Some of the subjects that he loves to paint are goddesses, the downtrodden, nymphs, madonnas, shepherdesses, labourers, bathers and so on. Throughout his working life he had exhibited his works annually at the Paris Salon without a break.

Lady with Glove still manages to stay in good demand even in today’s times. The reproduction of the paintings are ordered in large numbers. Both hand-painted (by expert artists) as well as digital printing and imaging variants of the painting are sold worldwide to art lovers and painting hoarders.