Portrait Of Countess Valperga De Masin, Née Countess De Solar, Circa 1820

Portrait of Countess Valperga de Masin, née Countess de Solar, according to an old inscription on the stretcher.
Oil on canvas in its fine original period frame.
Italian School, circa 1820, possibly by a French portraitist working in the region.
Very good overall condition.
Dimensions including the frame: 41 × 38 cm.

Auguste Audebert, in his Notice généalogique sur la maison de Masin, published in the Revue Historique de la Noblesse (1841, vol. 2, pp. 57–69), writes:
“Madame la comtesse de Masin, née Solaro de Villeneuve, one of the foremost families of Piedmont, is a woman endowed with great merit and superior intellect. Through her education and her graciousness, she is an ornament to the society of Turin; her high virtues earn her the esteem of her many friends, while her benevolence draws the blessings of the poor and the unfortunate who are the object of her constant solicitude. She devotes the greater part of her wealth to charitable works, and, guided by enlightened charity, makes the best possible use of it.”
The Valperga family is an ancient noble lineage of Piedmont, documented since the Middle Ages. It takes its name from the locality of Valperga, near Cuorgnè in the Canavese region, north of Turin. The Valperga were among the important feudal families of medieval Piedmont, holding castles and lordships in the Canavese area and playing a role in regional power struggles, notably in relation to the House of Savoy.
Over time, certain branches entered the service of the Dukes and later Kings of Savoy, becoming integrated into the state aristocracy. Several members held military, ecclesiastical, or diplomatic offices. The family divided into different branches, some bearing comital titles, and formed alliances with other prominent Piedmontese families, including the Solaro.