Created in 1957, Jacqueline Lisant belongs to the earliest and most intimate phase of Picasso’s relationship with Jacqueline Roque, who would soon become his second wife and final, most enduring muse. Here, Picasso presents Jacqueline not as a symbolic archetype, but as a living presence absorbed in a private moment of contemplation. The act of reading—quiet, inward, and unguarded—allows Picasso to explore her inner life rather than her outward role as subject.

This work draws from a long artistic tradition in which the muse is both inspiration and intellectual companion. Like the seated readers of Vermeer or the introspective women of Matisse, Jacqueline is depicted as autonomous and self-contained, reinforcing Picasso’s respect for her individuality. The lithographic medium lends immediacy to the image: lines remain fluid and expressive, while tonal variations subtly model form without excess detail.

Executed shortly after Picasso met Jacqueline at the Madoura pottery studio in Vallauris, the portrait reflects a turning point in his personal and artistic life. Jacqueline would go on to appear in more than 400 works—more than any other woman in Picasso’s oeuvre—yet Jacqueline Lisant stands out for its restraint and tenderness. It reveals Picasso at his most observational, transforming a simple domestic gesture into a timeless meditation on presence, intimacy, and the role of the muse as both subject and silent collaborator.