Miniature Portrait Of A Young Woman By Jacques Louis Comte (swiss-italian, Circa 1781-1843)

This exquisite miniature, painted on ivory, depicts a young woman in a white dress and red shawl. It was executed in 1818 by the renowned Italian-Swiss miniaturist and calligrapher Lois (Jacques-Louis) Comte (1781 Payerne – 1843 Naples).
In 1797, he taught drawing in Cugy (Swiss canton of Freiburg im Breisgau), and then from 1807 to 1812 in Freiburg im Breisgau. He subsequently settled in Naples, where he worked for the Neapolitan court. Given his dates of birth and death, our miniature was painted by him in Naples and represents a young noblewoman from high Italian society. The Grand Duchess of Tuscany owned a miniature portrait of Empress Isabella of Naples; Alfred von Stasser's collection included a miniature portrait of Countess Aldobrandini. In his monograph, Shidlof describes a miniature depicting a lady, from the collection of Dr. Ullman and dated 1843.

Bibliography: Thieme/Becker, "Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künsler…", Leipzig, 1999; E. Benezit, "Dictionary of painters, sculptors, decorators and etchers" (in French), Paris, 1999.
Inscription: illegible signature lower right; signed by the artist on the back and dated 1818.
Technique: gouache on ivory, original period frame with gilt-bronze inner mat.
Dimensions: diameter without frame: 6 cm; dimensions with frame: 12.5 cm x 12.5 cm.
Condition: good condition, without craquelure or retouching.