Mme Danloux leans casually against the chimneypiece holding in her hand a small leather-bound book, the place marked by a red ribbon. Her pale complexion is framed by brown hair arranged in a full, fashionably unpowdered coiffure, typical of the 1780s–1790s; she seems to be absorbed in her thoughts. She wears a pale, blue silk skirt with a fitted brown bodice with long sleeves finished with lace cuffs, and a light-coloured shawl or fichu is draped in broad crossed-bands over her shoulders.

Our painting likely dates to a few months before what may be considered the artist’s masterpiece, The Portrait of Baron de Besenval in his Salon (formerly Stair Sainty Gallery), now in the collection of the National Gallery, London. This portrays Pierre-Joseph-Victor, baron de Besenval, described by one of his biographers as soldier, collector, bon viveur, raconteur and rake, and a well-known figure among the elite of contemporary French society, seated in his Salon in what is today the Swiss embassy in Paris.

There are notable similarities between the two compositions. Both figures are posed in profile, facing left, their arms resting on marble chimneypieces with a lightly glowing fire and ormolu chenets, surmounted by a trumeau mirror and precious objects. The baron is seated in an elegant bergère covered in a dark green silk, rather than standing, next to a wall hung with old master paintings from his collection, contrasting with the empty walls in the Danloux bedroom. Both paintings are on a similar scale, the baron’s canvas just slightly larger than our portrait of the artist’s wife.