David's, he called it a "merciless portrait of an intelligent, homely woman." He also felt that the anatomy of the portrait was incorrect. Other critics suddenly found faults in the portrait, now that it was no longer considered a David and ascribed to Charpentier instead. James Laver wrote of the painting in 1964, "Although the painting is extremely attractive as a period piece, there are certain weaknesses of which a painter of David's calibre would not have been guilty." In a more modern take, Germaine Greer wrote that the picture "does not seek to charm, nor does it seek to portray the sexual vitality of its sitter" and felt that it was a feminist painting in nature. Other feminist critics began to ascribe a feminine aspect to the painting. The Louvre gallery discovered by Higonnet in 2014 was used by women to teach and be instructed in art. Higonnet therefore believes the painting is a portrait of a woman by a woman. The named woman, Charlotte du Val d'Ognes, once wanted to be a professional artist, but chose instead to give up art when she was married. Bridget Quinn describes the painting as a moment where "two young women longing to make art found themselves in a brief period of opportunity, when instruction, exhibition and even fame were possible." References Citations Sources Metropolitan Museum of Art 2017 drafts Paintings in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Portraits 1801 paintings Trompe-l'œil paintings