Lucie Hessel resting

Lucie Hessel, the wife of Vuillard's dealer Jos Hessel, was a close friend and avid supporter of the artist. She was also his muse and often posed for him. In this quick sketch typical of Vuillard's drawing style, he captured Lucie lounging on a couch. The attention paid to the evocation of the room, including paintings on the wall, a confusion of chairs on the left, and the outline of a mantelpiece in the background, are characteristic of Vuillard's conception of the portrait, in which he evokes the sitter's personality through their domestic environment as much as through their features.