Intense blue eyes so beautifully captured in the rather tense 7/8" tall face, beneath the bushy graying eyebrows, "Francois Dominique Jean Arag 1851" written by hand on the back of this beautiful little painting, which is not in its original frame. It's a round painting settled into oval format wood frame due to a chip on the wafer, but frame is the correct era. You can see it from the detail of the backside beneath the cloth cover. Also visible there is a copper plate which has been placed to reflect light back through his face and you can see that it was a method well used. His face fairly glows even though the old copper has oxidized a bit. Full measurement noted on photos.
Very good condition for age and type, presents beautifully, and only opening it up will expose that it does have a flaw: there is a loss to the wafer, to his left, looking on, it's from about the 4-5 o'clock position, but completely hidden when it was reframed in a period wood frame in oval format. Displays wonderfully, and is such an appealing portrait. One ought to be able to research more about this gentleman from the Napoleon III era.
