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    • Mid-19th-Century French School

    Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird

    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird

    Mid-19th-Century French School

    Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird

    This charming mid-19th-century French oil painting depicts a woman wearing a black dress with a lace collar and a prominent pink necktie. She’s holding a bird.

    During the 1850s, fashion tended to portray women as demure and doll-like with a bell-shaped silhouette. Dresses became voluminous and flesh tended to be covered. Centre partings remained popular with some opting for a low bun and/or puffing out of the hair over the ears. Here, the lady wears a double centre parting, which was popular during the first half of the decade.

    A rather scruffy (but adorable) little bird is perched on her left hand. Its breed is tricky to ascertain but it’s possibly a siskin or yellow wagtail. Oftentimes, birds are included in portraiture as symbolic references but, in this instance, she seems rather fond of it, so it’s probably a pet.

    The painting is signed in the lower right and appears to read ‘Puilput 1851’. However, given that ‘Puilput’ is an unusual surname, it’s probably ‘Poilpot’ and could relate to the artist Théophile Marie François Poilpot (1819-1896).

    Held in a period frame, which is probably original.

    Medium: Oil on canvas
    Overall size: 29½” x 34” / 75cm x 86cm
    Year of creation: 1851 
    Provenance: Private collection, France.
    Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Canvas relined. Craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Historic repairs. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
    Our reference: BRV1949

    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird
    Mid-19th-Century French School, Portrait Of A Woman With A Bird

    Conservation & History

    We care profoundly about our role as custodians and every piece in the collection has been assessed by our conservator. When required, we undertake professional restoration carefully using reversible techniques and adopt a light touch to retain the aged charm of each work. We also often restore frames rather than replace them as many are original and selected by the artists themselves.

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