The Village Bride

Jean-Baptiste Greuze painted The Village Bride in 1761, exhibiting it at that year's Salon to unanimous praise. The scene shows a rural wedding ceremony as a father gives his daughter's hand and dowry to the groom. The bride's mother and siblings gather around this tender moment.

The philosopher Denis Diderot championed the work, recognizing it as the first example of "moral painting." The composition captures family emotion through gestures and expressions, from the attentive notary to a jealous older sister looking on. Measuring 91.4 by 118.1 centimeters, it hangs in Room 928 at the Louvre in Paris.