A Young Woman of Frascati

A Young Woman of Frascati is a sophisticated drawing executed by Jacques Louis David between 1775 and 1776, dating to the formative years he spent in Italy after receiving the coveted Prix de Rome. This preparatory work is rendered primarily in red chalk, a medium perfectly suited for capturing subtle nuances of contour and shadow. Additional framing lines in pen and brown ink delineate the edges of the irregularly cut sheet, suggesting the artist or a later collector focused the composition entirely on the subject’s head and neck.

The drawing captures the profile of a young woman, likely a resident of Frascati, a hill town near Rome popular with visiting foreign artists. Studies of local Italian women in traditional dress were a common and vital exercise for David, helping him hone the observational skills critical to his eventual mastery of Neoclassicism. The depiction highlights the woman’s distinct features and careful rendering of her hair and shawl. This focus on detailed, naturalistic profiles demonstrates David's emerging technical skill and his transition away from the lightness of the Rococo toward a more austere and defined style.

This significant drawing resides within the renowned collection of European drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. David’s profound impact on the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries makes early studies like A Young Woman of Frascati invaluable records of his artistic journey. As this original work has entered the public domain, high-quality prints derived from the original are now widely accessible for academic study and private appreciation.