Portrait Of A Lady With Cherries And A Bird – 18th-century French School.

Oil on canvas depicting an elegant lady of high social standing, painted by an artist of the French school during the first half of the 18th century, likely toward the end of the Regency or at the beginning of the reign of Louis XV.

The subject is depicted in a half-length portrait against a dark background that highlights the delicacy of her face and the opulence of her costume. She is dressed in a red silk gown adorned with gold embroidery, featuring a wide neckline trimmed with fine lace. The sleeves are also embellished with lace and embroidered fabrics, while her hairstyle is adorned with a jewel that matches her earrings, reflecting the sartorial refinement of the French aristocracy in the early 18th century.

The originality of this composition lies in the objects the young woman is holding. In her right hand, she delicately holds two cherries by their stems, while a small tame sparrow perches on her left hand, seeming to wait for them to be offered to it. This scene lends a touch of tenderness and naturalness to a formal portrait.

These elements are rooted in an iconographic tradition inherited from the Renaissance. Cherries began appearing as early as the late 15th century in several Italian portraits, particularly among Leonardo da Vinci’s circle, while the small bird became, in the 17th and 18th centuries, a symbol of delicacy, affection, and elegance. Their combination in a single portrait remains relatively rare and contributes to the charm of this work.

The rendering of the face reveals meticulous execution, with luminous skin tones, a serene gaze, and an expression marked by gentleness. The qualities of the color palette are now fully appreciable thanks to a recent thinning of the varnish carried out by our conservator. This intervention has restored the freshness of the colors and the subtlety of the details without altering the work’s original patina.

The canvas was previously subjected to a conservation restoration during which it was mounted onto a plywood panel, using a technique once commonly employed to stabilize weakened supports. The work is now perfectly stable.

The painting is presented in an elegant 19th-century wooden frame with gilded stucco, which harmoniously complements the artwork.

Condition: Very good overall condition. Previous conservation restoration involving mounting on a panel. The varnish was recently thinned.

Dimensions:
Image: 69 × 54.5 cm
With frame: 83 × 68.5 cm