One of my favorites, this darling child with her lace bonnet and atop it is the hat of an adult. I've seen one similar painting in the Paris History Museum in the Marais, where many French Revolutionary portraits have been gathered and displayed. There, too, a child wore a felted adult hat similarly. I have not yet figured out the iconography, or whether it's just the cap of a father or mother who were revolutionaries, but that's the feel of it. She is not a child of Royalty. Charming as she is, one might easier interpret it if she also held a certain small flower, which were political alignments.
Very good condition for age and type. The painting is so appealing, yet it is not perfect. You can see both from the back and the front, a little moisture has caused the melting away of the evenly-applied gray background to her portrait, and has left a watermark on the paper backing, as well. She is framed in a period slab of beautiful old burl wood veneered plaque of wood, and that also shows some disruption from either moisture or just age. Displays beautifully, and all portrait miniatures of children are rare. This one is just more rare, posed as she is and not being a Royal child but one obviously of the Revolutionaries. If you are a costume expert and can tell me more about this particular type of felted French Revolutionary hat, do please email. I always love the stories these paintings tell. Full measurements are noted on the photos.
