Paul Mathey - Portrait Of A Young Girl In A Red Cap

Paul MATHEY Paris, 1844 – Paris, 1929 Portrait of a Young Girl in a Red Bonnet Oil on paper laid down on cardboard 39 x 31 cm (43.5 x 35.5 cm with frame) Inscriptions on the back: “Painted by Paul Mathey / JM …” Very good condition Beautiful 19th-century giltwood frame The model for this portrait has not been identified. However, there is an intimate quality to this portrait, with its close framing and a nearness in the gaze, which leads us to believe that it may simply be the artist's daughter. The little girl's rich and very elegant red fabric dress with an exotic bonnet – Turkish or Florentine style – was undoubtedly chosen for the pose. Paul Mathey was a French painter who worked and exhibited in Paris. A student of Léon Cogniet and Isidore Pils, he is best known for his portraits of celebrities of his time. Our portrait comes directly from the artist's family.