An early 1800s French portrait, the frame as valuable as is the painting, and combined represent a French Empire museum piece worthy of your walls or mine. This type of frame (and we have collected many over the decades, loving French Empire aesthetic) is quite magnificent, if showing some age around it's outer border. The appliqués are almost entirely complete, and the old patina is superb. The artist's talent in capturing this young beauty's innocence and perhaps slight boredom with the long sittings, makes it all the more charming. Dates c.1800-1830, latest. A portrait, likely, of the girl at time of her fist communion, which is at about 8-9 years of age, traditionally. Its' a shame our artist has not signed this fine painting. A lot of these old paintings have been lost from the frame, and the frames offered as ones into which you'll place a mirror. VERY popular, they run as high without the paintings as with, for the most part. This is too fine to separate. And she deserves to remain in her frame, to my eye and hope, having survived this long as you see her. And, yes, I bought her in Paris, long ago.
Very good to excellent for age and type, the old stretched canvas is in remarkably good condition, lacking holds, tears, restoration and is still nicely stretched. Oil painting of quality. The old French Empire frame shows it's age, but having survived 200 years, give or take 10, it presents remarkably well. Some roughness/loss to the gesso at outer perimeter, but all of that lush appliqué in corners remains. Measurements in full noted on our photos. If only she could tell us her story, this innocent young girl.
