This charming mid-19th-century French oil painting depicts a young woman seated alongside her beloved dog. It's signed with the initials ‘HP’ and dated 1854.
There's an appealing directness to this portrait. The young woman looks steadily towards us, her expression composed and notably free from the conventional sweetness sometimes associated with female portraiture of the period. She neither smiles nor performs for the viewer. Instead, there is a quiet self-possession to her presence - perhaps even a sense of resilience.
Her appearance has been carefully considered. Her dark hair is centrally parted and drawn smoothly around either side of the head, creating an unusually sculptural silhouette. She wears a rich emerald-green dress, its lustrous fabric enlivened by broad highlights, together with finely worked white lace at the collar and cuffs. A small black bow provides a fashionable contrast at her throat, while jewellery at her wrist and waist introduces discreet indications of status.
Yet the most personal element is surely her companion. Nestled closely beside her is a small black-and-white dog wearing a bright red ribbon. The animal looks away while its mistress meets our gaze. Her hand rests naturally alongside the dog.
Dogs had appeared in European portraiture for centuries, carrying associations with fidelity, affection and companionship. By the 19th century, however, portraits such as this can also feel considerably more personal. Increasingly, the family dog was precisely that: a member of the household, loved for its character and companionship. Here, one senses that portraying the young woman without hers would have produced an incomplete likeness.
The portrait has interesting provenance. It was acquired from the dispersal of paintings belonging to the descendants of an old French noble family, where numerous portraits represented ancestors of the household. Although the identity of this particular sitter has unfortunately been lost, it seems quite possible that she too belonged to that extended family collection.
170 years later, we at least know one thing about her. She loved her dog.
Signed with initials ‘HP’, dated 1854, and held within a substantial oval giltwood frame with broad rounded mouldings and a delicate foliate inner border.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 29 x 34½” / 74cm x 88cm
Year of creation: 1854
Provenance: From a collection of family portraits and other paintings belonging to the descendants of an old French noble family.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Craquelure throughout. The paint layer is stable. Frame with various marks and showing its age.
Our reference: BRV2345
