Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

Unknown
Late 18th-Century French School, Portrait Of An Elderly Lady

c. 1790

$2,644.53
£1,900
€2,261.38
CA$3,640.65
A$3,703.31
CHF 2,114.64
MX$44,793.54
NOK 24,657.83
SEK 25,035.63
DKK 16,905.44

About the Item

This late 18th-century French oil painting depicts an older woman wearing a simple linen cap, modest fichu and dark brown gown. Painted around 1790, this quiet piece was evidently created for the home, rather than designed to be ostentatious. Here we see a woman who was cherished, dressed as others would know her. The artist has resisted any temptation to idealise, faithfully recording the softened features and gentle expression that only time can bestow. The restrained composition reflects the finest traditions of late 18th-century French portraiture. Against a dark background, light falls softly across her face, illuminating warm flesh tones and the crisp folds of her white linen. The handling is understated yet accomplished, drawing the viewer's attention entirely towards the sitter's presence. One can easily imagine the painting hanging in a family drawing room, where children and grandchildren would recognise the familiar smile of a much-loved mother or grandmother. A reminder that the greatest portraits often preserve not only a likeness, but a personality. Held in a handsome ebonised frame. Medium: Oil on canvas Overall size: 28½” x 32½” / 72cm x 83cm Year of creation: c. 1790 Provenance: Private collection, France. Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. Fine craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear. Our reference: BRV2323
  • Creation Year:
    c. 1790
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 32.5 in (82.55 cm)Width: 28.5 in (72.39 cm)Depth: 2 in (5.08 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
    1790-1799
  • Condition:
    Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. Fine craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
  • Gallery Location:
    Cheltenham, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2328218422012

More From This Seller

View All
Nicolas Fouché, Portrait Of A Lady As Flora, Goddess Of Spring

Nicolas Fouché, Portrait Of A Lady As Flora, Goddess Of Spring

Located in Cheltenham, GB

This elegant early 18th-century oil painting by French master portraitist Nicolas Fouché (1653-1733) depicts a young lady representing an allegory of Flora, the goddess of flowers an...

Category

1710s French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mid 18th-Century German School, Portrait Of Dr Johann David Wechsler

Mid 18th-Century German School, Portrait Of Dr Johann David Wechsler

Located in Cheltenham, GB

This intriguing mid 18th-century German oil painting depicts Dr Johann David Wechsler, a respected civic figure. Painted around 1760, when Wechsler was in his early 30s, it presents ...

Category

1760s Mannerist Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mid-18th-Century English Oil Painting, Portrait Of A Girl With A Posy

Mid-18th-Century English Oil Painting, Portrait Of A Girl With A Posy

Located in Cheltenham, GB

This exceedingly charming mid-18th-century English oil painting depicts a girl wearing a red gown with a train over a white petticoat. She’s holding a posy or nosegay. Evidently once commissioned for an English country house, the identity of this young lady remains a mystery. Her gown appears to be inspired by the popular ‘robe à la française...

Category

1740s English School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Mid-18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Lace Jabot

Mid-18th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Gentleman With A Lace Jabot

Located in Cheltenham, GB

This mid-18th-century French oil painting depicts a bourgeois gentleman wearing a pale grey-blue coat with a white waistcoat and a prominent lace jabot. He's reserved, comfortable, a...

Category

1760s French School Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like

Early 19th Century Oil - Portrait of a Lady

Early 19th Century Oil - Portrait of a Lady

Located in Corsham, GB

A charming portrait of a woman wearing a floral dress and white lace bonnet. Well presented in an oval gilt-effect frame with floral ornamentation. Unsigned. The piece was acquired ...

Category

Early 19th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Oil

Portrait of a Lady, Oil on Canvas, Mid-18th Century, Unsigned

Portrait of a Lady, Oil on Canvas, Mid-18th Century, Unsigned

Located in GB

This is a restrained and elegant eighteenth-century British or Irish portrait, most likely dating from the mid-1700s, and it fits squarely within the polite, understated portrait tra...

Category

Mid-18th Century Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

18th c. French Portrait of a Lady by Jean Ranc (1674 - 1735), Paris circa 1700

18th c. French Portrait of a Lady by Jean Ranc (1674 - 1735), Paris circa 1700

Located in PARIS, FR

Portrait of a Lady with carnations By Jean Ranc (Montpellier 1674 - Madrid 1735), circa 1700 Oil on canvas in oval shape, Dimensions: h. 35.82, w. 28.34 in. Period Louis XIV giltwood and carved frame with laurel leaves. Framed dimensions: h. 42.52 in, w. 33.85 in. Provenance: Collection of the Marquis de Bailleul at the Château d'Angerville-Bailleul (before 1942). To be included in the catalog raisonné of the artist by Stephane Perreau Important portrait of a young woman depicted half-length turned three-quarters, her face looking at the viewer. Dressed in a brick red velvet dress, an elegant blue scarf envelops her figure. Hair styled “a la Fontange”, her powdered hair is raised and tied at the back with a red ribbon, several curly locks escape from her bun and fall on her back and shoulders. The perfectly oval face with regular features dominated by her straight nose is softened by her gray eyes with slightly lowered lids. The red tinged skin tones on the cheeks and cheekbones color the face and make the portrait come alive. The young woman is portrayed standing near a pot of carnations. Her strongly lighted figure stands out against an architectural background of columns. The artist's palette is made of contrasts opposing warm to cold hues. The icy electric blue contrasts with the fiery brick red, the hair powdered with white accentuates even more the flush of the cheeks. The left arm bent at the elbow, extending the open hand with slightly bent fingers in the foreground brings depth to the composition. Our portrait, an interesting testimony in the corpus of works of the painter, is part of his youthful period, around 1700-1705. The former belonging of this portrait to the Marquis de Bailleul reinforces the remarkable character of our painting. The portrait has been examined by Stéphane Perreau, specialist of Jean Ranc and will be included in the catalog raisonné currently being written, under number P. 43. The notice edited by Mr Perreau is below: "Painted around 1700-1705, this portrait of a woman is directly inherited from Hyacinthe Rigaud, the master of Jean Ranc (the hand turned over the front, in a watch...

Category

Early 18th Century Old Masters Portrait Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Portrait of a Lady, Baroque Oil on Canvas, 18th Century, Framed

Portrait of a Lady, Baroque Oil on Canvas, 18th Century, Framed

Located in Berlin, DE

Attributed to MILLOT, Henri. Portrait of a Lady. Oil on canvas. Unsigned, inscribed Millot on the reverse. 18th century. 85 x 69 cm. Framed. 85 x 69 cm. Portrait of a young woman in ...

Category

1720s Baroque Figurative Paintings

Materials

Oil

Late 18th Century French Portrait of a Lady, Oil on Canvas, circa 1790–1800

Late 18th Century French Portrait of a Lady, Oil on Canvas, circa 1790–1800

Located in SANT ADRIÀ DE BESÒS, ES

Antique French oil portrait of a lady, painted circa 1790–1800, during the transitional period between late Rococo and early Neoclassicism. The sitter is depicted wearing traditional...

Category

Antique 18th Century French Paintings

Materials

Canvas