Reclining Female Nude

More than any other of his early figure studies, this painting sees Eckersberg deviate from his usual efforts to present idealised depictions of his models – a trait clearly evident in his drawn studies from the Copenhagen Academy. Here, however, he portrays a specific female body, and the painting shows the extent to which his powers of observation had been honed during his time in Paris. He unflinchingly depicts the variations in tone found in the woman’s skin, the blue veins over her ribs, her red, work-worn hands and the slight tan to the skin above the breastbone (reflecting the cut of her dress). The painting is unsigned and undated by the artist, but in the 1854 catalogue of Eckersberg’s estate it is counted among the works done in Paris. Perhaps it was executed during some of the private “academy” sessions he arranged together with a number of German painters.