A fine mid-19th-century portrait of a lady, believed to be French, wearing a beautiful green dress with decorative lace embellishments. With her left hand, she’s gently holding a necklace with perhaps a cameo or locket attached to it.

Her hairstyle and outfit match the expectations of the 1860s when women wore full bell-shaped dresses with low sloping shoulders that flared out into wide sleeves. Hair tended to be tied into low chignons at the nape of the neck with loops or ringlets covering the ears.

This is clearly a lady from a noble family so could her gesture symbolise that her romantic interests are currently a mystery?

The portrait is monogrammed ABR in the top left.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 23½” x 29” / 60cm x 74cm
Year of creation: c. 1860
Provenance: France
Condition: Craquelure throughout but the paint layer seems stable under varnish. A few minor losses and some scuffing around the edges. Lightly restored.