A pastel portrait of a woman shown half-length in a white cap and chemise, a blue wrap draped over her shoulders, against a dark ground. English School, c.1760–1790. The sitter is unidentified and the work is unsigned.

The plain cap, unpowdered hair, and sober white dress are the informal dress of an English woman of the period, and the direct, smoothly blended handling is that of a provincial English pastellist working in the manner of Francis Cotes and John Russell. The lace of the cap is picked out with touches of white highlight. The pastel is on paper laid down on a wooden strainer, the usual 18th-century method for a finished pastel, and remains on its original support. The giltwood frame is a later replacement, 19th century.

Frame 12.5"W x 15"H; paper 9.5"W x 12.5"H.

Condition: A vertical line runs through the face where the pastel has been rubbed away. A small puncture to the paper at the neck. A few pinpoint losses to the background. The frame shows rubbing and small losses to the gilding, most noticeably at the corners, with light cracking to the finish.