Frame: 28" x 24" x 2.5" deep. Beautiful antique French oil painting on stretched canvas, in original heavy wood frame, with just a signature of P D, and dating mid- late 1800s, This painting has long been one of my favorites. I love her confident eyes looking directly at her viewer. She seems to be a young woman in mourning, the black clothing and the mourning jewelry she's wearing, the pinch at the sides of her mouth - resolute but a hint of sadness there and in her eyes. The jewelry is in the period-typical Napoleon III or Victorian black enamel on gold brooch and earrings, set with seed pearls. In that era, seed pearls represented or were iconic for the tears of the mourner, and the dark ground being the night into which a soul departs. Such dignity to her! She is in the original mid-1800s frame, as well, very heavy old forest growth wood with appliqué of gesso, a little of which almost always has broken away over time. These are easy to restore, but time consuming, and I have more paintings than time to do them so will leave it to her next owner. Most people display as they are. Some want the perfection. A little work on her frame. Full measurements of frame and painting are noted on our photos.
Very good to excellent condition for age and type, the oil painting portrait remains elegant and nicely stretched on original stretched canvas. It seems to me, at angles of light, there might be some overpainting or restoration evidence (look closely). Stamps and notation on back of Lyon, France, and I did buy this one in France. All it needs is a hanging wire and a spot to hang. As noted, the old original frame has some areas of missing plaster/gesso which can be restored or left as it is. Since it is her original frame, it will remain with the painting, which carried the value in our offering.
