The Reader of Novels

As a postscript to Brilliant Women (below) and to belatedly mark World Book Day 2008, which passed us all by on 6 March (CLICK), here's Antoine Wiertz's notion of a bluestocking. Yes, folks, it's a comely nude with a book: La liseuse de romans (The Reader of Novels) painted in 1853. Is she killing time between lovers? Note the hand creeping into frame to snatch one of her other novels. In case you haven't heard of Antoine Wiertz (1806-1865), he was a rather obscure Belgian romantic painter and sculptor who never achieved much success outside his own country. Paris gave him the raspberry (title link) and I'm not surprised.