A large oval painting, a fellow from the 1830s France, holds a letter or book and a portrait miniature he seems to be mourning, a comforting woman alongside him. It seems to be a man mourning a lost love. It might be the woman is iconographical rather than actually in person. Beautifully painted on a relatively large oval, 5" x 3 1/2" and a typical blackened wood outer frame 6 7/8" x 4 5/8". The faces of the 2 people captured with such emotion are only 1/2", chin to hairline.
Very good to excellent condition throughout, it seems possible it might be a mid-1800s painting after or "aprés" a more famous painting, created as a souvenir for early 1800s Grand Tour travelers whose appetite for souvenirs of the museum visits. Gouache on wafer, superb condition and saved under flat cover glass.
