Portrait of a Young Lady as Flora

I t became common in the 18th century for women to have their portraits painted in a variety of roles – as a shepherdess or a mythological figure. This woman appears as Flora, the goddess of vegetation and fertility. She wears a costume, inspired by antiquity, that leaves one breast bare. In earlier times, bare breasts could symbolise maternity, but here there is more of an erotic overtone. The portrait was painted by Élisabeth Louise Vigée- Lebrun, one of France’s leading portraitists before, during and after the French Revolution.