The Chocolate Girl by Jean-Etienne Liotard is a pastel on parchment created circa 1744. The work depicts a domestic servant in profile, carrying a tray with a cup of chocolate and a glass of water. This composition dates from the period when Liotard was active in Central Europe, and it is considered one of the artist’s most celebrated genre portraits. The image shows a young woman standing in full length against a neutral background, dressed in a modest brown bodice, white apron, and a pink cap trimmed with lace.

She holds a tray with a porcelain cup and saucer, a glass of water, and a napkin, rendered with precise detail and subtle gradations of color. The pastel medium allows for a soft, luminous effect, especially evident in the textures of the fabrics and the reflective surfaces of the glass and porcelain. The Chocolate Girl is widely recognized as a masterpiece of eighteenth-century pastel portraiture. The work has been admired for its naturalism and meticulous technique since its creation.

Today, it is held in a major public collection and remains an iconic example of Liotard’s ability to combine everyday realism with refined elegance.