Woman with a Letter

1750–1800

Woman with a Letter, 1750–1800. Attributed to Sigmond Freudeberg (Swiss, 1745–1801). Watercolor and gouache with point of brushwork; overall: 32.5 x 22.5 cm (12 13/16 x 8 7/8 in.); sheet: 23.5 x 14.7 cm (9 1/4 x 5 13/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Muriel Butkin 2017.217 An elegantly dressed woman stands at the center of the composition. She carries a plate with a tea cup and saucer in one hand while she holds a letter, marked with a prominent red seal, up to her lips with the other. This drawing captures the woman in mid-action as she tiptoes across the room.