The Young Scholar

This is one of many known copies of the painting by François-Hubert Drouais of a young art student clutching his portfolio (1761) that was the sensation of the Salon that year. Because of the popularity of the painting, Drouais and his studio produced numerous copies, and the work was often reproduced by other artists. Catherine Lusurier, Drouais's niece by marriage and his student, was reported by contemporaries to have made copies after his work, but this is the only known example. With so few works securely attributable to Lusurier, it is difficult to assert her authorship with any certainty, but the painting is not stylistically incompatible with her known oeuvre. Technical analysis has revealed that this work may have been painted over another composition.