Circa 1750 / Young Woman With Ribbon / French School / Pastel

Portrait of a Young Woman with a Ribbon and a Rose France, circa 1750 Pastel on paper mounted on its original frame This delicate female portrait, executed in pastel around 1750, demonstrates all the grace and refinement of portraiture during the reign of Louis XV. The artist, anonymous but clearly close to the tradition of Maurice Quentin de La Tour or Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, captures here with finesse the softness and youth of the model. The young woman, dressed in a light dress trimmed with lace and adorned with a rose on the bodice, embodies the beauty and feminine sensitivity of the time. Her powdered hairstyle, intertwined with pink ribbons, as well as the silk bow delicately tied around her neck, reflect the elegant and graceful fashion of the 1750s. Pastel, a favored technique of 18th-century portrait painters, allows the artist to render with great refinement the transparencies of the skin, the soft light of the face and the subtle nuances of the fabrics. The bluish and vaporous background highlights the luminous face, giving the whole an impression of tenderness and intimacy. Presented in a Louis XV style frame, not from the period but harmoniously chosen to emphasize the charm of the portrait, the whole benefits from careful mounting. Given the fragility of the work — pastel on paper stretched on an original frame — a protective cardboard-wood case has been specially designed at the back to ensure optimal conservation and guarantee the stability of the whole without risk to the pastel.

on view 31 x 39
with frame 64 x 55