The Chocolate Girl
Encyclopedia
The Chocolate Girl is one of the most prominent pastel
s of Swiss
artist Jean-Étienne Liotard
, showing a chocolate-serving maid. The girl carries a tray with a porcelain chocolate mug and a glass of water. Theories concerning the girl's head-dress run from a cap cover to an echo of the colourful regional caps. The girl's apron features a small bodice
.
Around 1900, La Belle Chocolatière served as inspiration for the commercial illustration of the "nurse" that appeared on Droste's cocoa tins. This was most probably a work of the commercial artist Jan (Johannes) Musset. According to Droste, "The illustration indicated the wholesome effect of chocolate milk and became inextricably bound with the name Droste."
Liotard's contemporaries classed The Chocolate Girl as his masterpiece. Since 1765 the painting has been in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
, Dresden
. In 1862 the American Baker's Chocolate Company
obtained the rights to use the painting. During World War II
the Germans transported it to Königstein Fortress
. The delicate painting managed to survive the cold and dampness after the Germans retreated from advancing Soviet
troops.
A similar subject by Liotard is A Lady Pouring Chocolate, 1744 (National Gallery, London
).
Pastel
Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
s of Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
artist Jean-Étienne Liotard
Jean-Étienne Liotard
Jean-Étienne Liotard was a Swiss-French painter. His father was a jeweller who fled to Switzerland after 1685....
, showing a chocolate-serving maid. The girl carries a tray with a porcelain chocolate mug and a glass of water. Theories concerning the girl's head-dress run from a cap cover to an echo of the colourful regional caps. The girl's apron features a small bodice
Bodice
A bodice, historically, is an article of clothing for women, covering the body from the neck to the waist. In modern usage it typically refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the 18th century, or to the upper portion of a modern dress to distinguish it from...
.
Around 1900, La Belle Chocolatière served as inspiration for the commercial illustration of the "nurse" that appeared on Droste's cocoa tins. This was most probably a work of the commercial artist Jan (Johannes) Musset. According to Droste, "The illustration indicated the wholesome effect of chocolate milk and became inextricably bound with the name Droste."
Liotard's contemporaries classed The Chocolate Girl as his masterpiece. Since 1765 the painting has been in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden features major works of art. It is located in the gallery wing of the Zwinger....
, Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. In 1862 the American Baker's Chocolate Company
Baker's chocolate (brand)
Baker's Chocolate is a brand name for the line of baking chocolates made by the Kraft Foods corporation. Products include a variety of bulk chocolates, including white and unsweetened, and sweetened coconut flakes...
obtained the rights to use the painting. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Germans transported it to Königstein Fortress
Königstein Fortress
Königstein Fortress , the "Saxon Bastille", is a hilltop fortress near Dresden, in Saxon Switzerland, Germany, above the town of Königstein on the left bank of the River Elbe...
. The delicate painting managed to survive the cold and dampness after the Germans retreated from advancing Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
troops.
A similar subject by Liotard is A Lady Pouring Chocolate, 1744 (National Gallery, London
National Gallery, London
The National Gallery is an art museum on Trafalgar Square, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The gallery is an exempt charity, and a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media...
).