Madame Gredelue

Research Status: Moderate Last Updated: 2025-01-23 Diary Coverage: Up to 1880-10-16

Madame Gredelue was a young widow, age 25, who posed as a model for Marie at the Académie Julian in October 1880. Marie describes her as extraordinarily beautiful with striking coloring:

Physical description:

• Brown hair with red highlights
• Adorable brown eyes
• Divine mouth
• Ravishing complexion with freshness and vitality (though prone to broken capillaries)
• Splendid arms and neck in both color and form
• Admirable hands and skin
• "Extraordinary brilliance" to her face
• Something touching and maternal in her physiognomy
• Somewhat ordinary when viewed face-on (Marie painted her in profile)

Mme Gredelue had a 5½-year-old son. She was not a professional model but an atelier student who agreed to pose for Marie. She posed "like an angel" - so well and for so long that Marie wished she could hire her as a model by the year.

Marie painted her portrait in Greuze style: cream damask bodice with an Indian muslin fichu. Mme Gredelue agreed to pose for a full Salon painting as long as it wasn't too nude - a commitment of perhaps six weeks. Marie gave her the portrait in exchange for her time, though Marie felt she deserved more and planned to give her a beautiful gift.

Marie had ideas for a Salon piece featuring this "éclatant modèle" (dazzling model) whose extraordinary radiance she felt was impossible to fully capture in paint.