A Signed And Dated Portrait Of A Woman By Castin, 1838, Featuring A Scene With A Dog And A Cat.

Jean Jacques Marie Castin (Rossillon, Ain, 1797 – Lyon, 1869 or 1870)
Portrait of a Young Lady with Dog and Cat, Signed

Dated 1838

Oil on canvas, signed and dated “Castin 1838” lower left.

This charming portrait, painted in 1838 by the Lyonnais artist Jean Jacques Marie Castin, depicts a young woman shown half-length before a rolling landscape dotted with a village and distant hills. An unusual detail enlivens the foreground: a dog chasing a cat, introducing a touch of movement and everyday life into the composition.

The sitter wears a dark dress with wide sleeves, complemented by a white lace-trimmed collar fastened with a small geometric brooch. Her hairstyle, with softly waved side curls and gathered hair, is characteristic of late 1830s fashion. Long pendant earrings and the delicate modelling of the face reflect the painter’s careful attention to detail.

The background combines architecture, countryside and distant mountains in soft, harmonious tones. The presence of such a developed landscape gives the painting a character that goes beyond a conventional portrait and approaches genre painting in spirit.

The work is housed in its antique gilded wood and gesso frame dating from the first half of the 19th century. The canvas appears to have undergone an old relining, a common conservation practice for paintings of this age. Overall condition is good.

Jean Jacques Marie Castin studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Lyon under Jean-Claude Bonnefond. Active primarily in Lyon, he regularly exhibited at the French Salons between 1833 and 1856. His work is largely devoted to bourgeois portraiture and reflects the restrained elegance associated with the Louis-Philippe period. This painting is a representative example of his mature production.

Dimensions with frame: 53 x 44.5 cm
Canvas: 40.5 x 32 cm