Portrait Of A Chinese Woman With Two Fennec Foxes - French School Circa 1950

French school circa 1950
Portrait of a Chinese woman with two fennec foxes
Oil on cardboard
H. 60 cm ; W. 50 cm
Circa 1950

This painting depicts a young woman with a calm face and a thoughtful gaze, wearing a Chinese-inspired coat. Her garment is deep blue, adorned with traditional knot-shaped buttons, called frogs, typical of Chinese jackets (cheongsam). A wide, bright red collar provides a strong contrast, highlighting the young woman's neck and face. She holds in her arms two baby fennec foxes, small desert foxes with large, expressive ears. The animals appear peaceful, nestled in her hands. The decor behind her contrasts sharply with her clothes: the background shows an interior with floral wallpaper and pastel colors, evoking a bourgeois French atmosphere, like the armchair on which the model is sitting. The work is striking for its mixture of cultural references. The young woman's Chinese clothing suggests an Asian origin or an oriental influence deliberately highlighted by the artist. It stands out clearly from the Western setting, and even more so from the two fennec foxes whose origin is none other than the Sahara. Was this woman an eccentric Parisian, an author, a muse? The investigation remains to be continued!