The Kitchen Cook Reading Notecard

The artist Johann Georg (of Jean-Georges) Wille recorded in his Memoires on 27 November 1759:

M. Greuze, this serious, solid painter, has just made me a present of one of his excellent drawings, a sign of true friendship. This drawing represents a kitchen maid standing next to a cupboard, reading or calculating in her account book, after coming back from market, how she can best cheat her mistress. It is of great beauty, and boldly drawn in black and white pencil on gray paper.

Despite this tantalizing description, this work remained largely unknown to scholars until 2016. At last we now have the opportunity to enjoy Jean-Baptist Greuze’s (1725-1805) gift to Wille.

The Kitchen Cook, Reading (1759) is reproduced here as a notecard. Perfect for sending a note to friends far and near.

This notecard was produced to accompany an exhibition on view at the Morgan Library & Museum, Liberty to the Imagination: Drawings from the Eveillard Gift, June 7, 2024 through October 6, 2024.