A beautiful mid-19th-century portrait of a young lady in black by French painter, Germain Paget (1817-1884).

Paget was born into a family of watchmakers and lived in Morbier, eastern France during the early part of his life. He initially trained at the Royal College in Dole under Jean Séraphin Désiré Besson (1795-1864) but soon headed for the School of Fine Arts in Paris.

He’s primarily known for his religious scenes and genre paintings, which often graced the walls of the illustrious Salon, but he also painted portraits - particularly of his family and local dignitaries.

Several of his works were as a result of commissions by the church including a piece entitled ‘Saint François Xavier Baptizing And Healing The Sick Indians’ for Notre-Dame Cathedral. He also produced numerous copies of old masters.

Later in life, Paget returned to his hometown of Mobier but this particular piece was painted in 1844 - during his time in the Capital.

The portrait is signed/dated in the lower left.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 19½” x 24” / 50cm x 61cm
Year of creation: 1844
Provenance: France
Condition: Very presentable with areas of light restoration and some craquelure. Canvas relined.
Artist’s auction highlight: £4,481 achieved for ‘Les Petits Délinquants’ at a French auction in 2004.