Portrait Of A Young Woman Around 1800, In The Style Of Louis-léopold Boilly

Portrait of a young woman in a white dress, in the style of Louis-Léopold Boilly
France, circa 1800
Oil on canvas , wooden frame and gilded stucco from the Restoration period Dimensions: 34 x 29 cm (frame)

Portrait of a seated young woman, depicted half-length, slightly smiling. She wears a white dress with a crossover neckline, typical of the Directoire/Consulate fashion, her hair styled “à la Titus,” in short, airy curls framing the face—a cut inspired by antiquity that was very fashionable in the years 1795–1805. This hairstyle, popularized in post-revolutionary republican circles, embodied a new form of freedom and a return to the aesthetic models of ancient Rome.
The dark background highlights the model’s fresh complexion and frank gaze.
A portrait in the style of Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761–1845), a virtuoso portraitist of the French bourgeoisie under the Directory and the Empire. It displays the artist's careful and meticulous style, the softness of the flesh, and the psychological attention characteristic of the artist, even though he was undoubtedly a painter from his close circle.