Alfred Stevens - A Doll (Une Poupée)

Lady with a Japanese Doll (Femme à la Poupee Japonaise), also known as The Lady In Pink, by Alfred Stevens (1867, private collection).

Alfred Stevens (1823-1906) was born in Brussels as the son of an officer in the service of King William I of the Netherlands. He was a friend of Manet and was influenced by Japanese prints, as were so many French artists of the time. He seems to have had a collection of Japanese dolls which he used to add an exotic or colorful touch to his paintings of elegant society women.