Sunday, October 17, 2010

Yay or Nay? Baroness de Neubourg-Cromiere

Last week we analyzed Jean-Baptiste Belley's experiments with accessories and he came out with a Yay.  Perhaps the Giordet could have suggested another pose for him though...  It is now time to leave the fashionable male and return to uber-feminine frocks.


Alexander Roslin paints the Baroness de Neubourg-Cromiere (1756) in her long-sleeved pink masquerade gown.  Yay or Nay?

[Nationalmuseum, Stockholm]

31 comments:

  1. Ick. It looks like her dress broke out in hives. Nay.

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  2. I love it. She is adorable. The finesse with which so many artists of that period captured the look of silk always amazes me. I think the reason I give it a 'yay' is that, while the dress is rather wedding cake decadent, it feels consistently so, with a well-balanced if liberal use of ornamentation. Plus, that is a good pink. Not too cold.

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  3. I am not very fond of the colour of the lace, but in general with the moderate hair, the lovely ruffles, the peachy colour and the interesting sleeves, she gets a complete yay from me!

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  4. Total yay! It might be a little-over-the-top, but from the mask in her hand, it looks like it was a masquerade dress. And that makes it perfect; who doesn't want an elaborate masquerade dress? Love the peach and green together, too.

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  5. This is why I love this century. That dress is a work of art and I just want to touch it. The little garden on her shoulder and woven through her hair is perfect. Yay!

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  6. I have to agree with some of the others that it looks like a wonderful party dress and a work of art. Think how long it must have taken the seamstress to put all those finishing touches on it and then someone to complete the look with her hair! For shear effort, it's a Yay! But I also think it's a Yay! for prettiness.

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  7. Yay- uber-pinkpink , uber feminine, uber uber everything. totally over the top - sheer pleasure meant to be worn to the Masquerade - once! Oy vey!

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  8. Yay all the way. She looks like a sweet confectionary delight!

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  9. Ohmygodthisissoawesomeyay!

    Whew!

    Sorry, I just can't help but get a little overwrought. She looks just like my 5-year-old self's vision of "princess."

    The colors are wonderful. Pink, but peachy, complimenting her skin tone perfectly and if you don't like frills and furbelows, well then almost the entire century isn't for you!

    The portrait itself is just lovely, too. This is my favorite thing, like... ever.

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  10. Fabulous masquerade costume! For something like that, it should be over the top.

    A huge YAY from me!

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  11. Yay from me. She looks absolutely charming. The finishing touch is really the flowers in her hair and on her shoulder. Not to mention her expression bubbling over with barely suppressed delight.

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  12. NAY!!!!
    I like the colors but everything is just too much. Plus there are random flowers sprouting from her shoulder.

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  13. Oh, how pretty - a big YAY! The coloring is so perfect for her and I love the cream lace accents on the dress...all just gorgeous.

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  14. A deifinite yay! Not a gown for everyday, but a masked ball wasn't every day, so so what? I love it! I would never wear it myself, but I love it.

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  15. YAY! I love it! The color and trim, the delicate pink flowers in her hair, the sleeves. She herself is not cute, but the dress makes her cute, just as a dress should.

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  16. YAY! I love it! The color and trim, the delicate pink flowers in her hair, the sleeves. She herself is not cute, but the dress makes her cute, just as a dress should.

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  17. Most definitely Yay! The dress is not my favorite but I think she wears it beautifully and her character shines through the painting :)

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  18. Oh, Yay, Yay, Yay! I love it! I would wear it!

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  19. I like it! She looks so very friendly- as though she's someone you want good things to happen to. I do wish her hair was a little poofier. But overall, a nice Yay!

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  20. Well...it IS a little over the top, but I'll excuse that, because it's a masquerade dress. And I love the colour, and the sitter looks so very real, and friendly, and relaxed in her outfit. So yay.

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  21. Yay.
    Although the dress hasn't got a nice colour, to my opinion. But the dress itself is adorable!

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  22. Yay! Love the Pompadour inspired hair. simple and elegant.

    My 2 year old daughter says yay too. Well, that just decides it.

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  23. She looks so happy in her party dress how can you not say YAY! She wears it so well, the colour suits her & she appears so engaging. Makes me think of the pinkest sunrises I've ever seen.

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  24. yay definitely. Doesn't mean you'd catch me in it, but it is gorgeous.

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  25. That dress looks like an explosion in an icing factory. Nay.

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  26. Yay, yay, YAY! I absolutely love it, I know many might think it way too much, but "cake"-dresses are my favourite. I really like the peach colour and think it suits her very well. If I must point my finger on something it must be the arms of the dress - they should be bare from a little below the albow.

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  27. A bit much? Perhaps. But it's a "bit much" of a good thing! Pink! Frothy! The epitome of mid-18th century. In short: YAY!

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