Jean Jacquet was one of the most talented students of the famous French realist William Bouguereau. He mainly painted portraits of women in 18th-century dress and historical genre scenes. He excelled in the rendering of precious fabrics such as velvet, brocade and silk. It is striking that one powerful and attractive model appears frequently in his oeuvre. Who she was is not known; some assume his daughter, others think it was his mistress. The painter was born in Paris in 1846 and participated with great success in the Paris Salon until 1909. After that, he lost the attention of the art critics. Today his work is again very popular. Paintings by Jacquet are in many international collections, such as that of the Metropolitan Museum in New York.