A provincial mid-19th-century portrait of a seated lady wearing a black dome-shaped dressed with a white collar. Her right arm is resting on a table with several red books, which indicates her literacy.
Her style fits perfectly alongside other portraits from the 1840s. It was a decade whereby dome-shaped dresses became increasingly more voluminous and hair was parted perfectly in the centre. Women also often wore pendants or cameos attached to long necklaces - as we see here.
An inscription on the reverse refers to ‘Maria Birgitta’ who died in 1906 and there’s potentially also a reference to the artist.
The portrait is housed within a black lacquered frame that’s probably the original.
| Medium |
Oil on canvas laid on board then laid on wood
|
| Overall size |
15½” x 19½” / 42cm x 49cm
|
| Year of creation |
c. 1845
|
| Provenance |
Sweden
|
|
Condition
|
Craquelure throughout including a vertical line towards the bottom. Scattered paint losses. Frame with age-related wear. The style suggests that there's a photographic base under the oils.
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