Self-Portrait with Two Pupils - Adélaïde Labille-Guiard

A masterful 1785 portrait by Adélaïde Labille-Guiard, depicting the artist at her easel with two of her pupils.

Adélaïde Labille-Guiard produced this large-scale oil painting in 1785, a period when she sought to establish her professional standing within the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. The composition depicts the artist seated before an easel, dressed in an elaborate silk gown, holding a palette and brushes. She is accompanied by two of her students, Marie Gabrielle Capet and Marie Marguerite Carraux de Rosemond, who stand behind her chair. The inclusion of these pupils serves to document her role as a teacher, a position she held with distinction during her career.

The painting is notable for its technical precision and the handling of light. Labille-Guiard captures the sheen of her blue dress and the delicate lace at her collar with meticulous attention to texture. The background remains dark, which directs the viewer's focus toward the figures and the tools of the trade. A bust of her father is visible in the shadows, providing a subtle nod to her lineage. The work was exhibited at the Salon of 1785, where it drew attention for its scale and the confidence of its execution. It remains a significant example of eighteenth-century French portraiture, reflecting the social and professional ambitions of female artists working in Paris during the pre-revolutionary era.

Labille-Guiard was one of the few women admitted to the Académie, and this painting functions as a declaration of her status. By depicting herself in the act of painting, she asserts her identity as a professional practitioner rather than an amateur. The interaction between the teacher and her students suggests a collaborative environment, documenting the transmission of artistic knowledge within her studio. The work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.