Doe and Hope

Description

The beautiful large half-length portrait in oval form of a Parisian Lady, painted in oils on canvas, wearing an intricate lace bejeweled bonnet, with drop earrings, and a diamond choker, to a turquoise and white lace Ottoman type dress, her hands folded and with a ruby ring and her face looking out to the viewer, the work unframed and surviving from the first quarter of eighteenth century France.

She remains in completely original condition with no over-painting and a good deal of craquelure to the surface with flecked losses and creasing to the canvas to the lower part. The paint surface has taken on a wonderful patina to it and there has been no attempt to restore or clean the picture. Please refer to the photographs for a full visual reference.

The sitter is either a Parisian courtesan or perhaps a high-class prostitute and the remains of an old label and red wax seal verso suggests the picture was once part of a noble collection.

A mesmerisingly untouched portrait of good size and super colour and texture.