Ernestine Cabart, Portrait Of A Young Dandy And His Dog, Romantic School, 1848

Romantic portrait of a young dandy with his dog, signed E. Cabart and dated 1848

Original oil on canvas, signed and dated on the right: E. Cabart 1848.

A beautiful Romantic portrait depicting an elegant young man seated indoors, accompanied by his dog. The subject is shown in a three-quarter profile, his gaze directed outside the painting, in a pose that is at once reserved, dreamy, and distinguished. His right hand rests naturally, while his left hand holds a riding crop or a walking stick—a detail that evokes the world of aristocratic leisure, country walks, and hunting.

The costume is particularly noteworthy for the year 1848. The young man wears a black jacket, a white shirt with an open collar, and a wide red scarf tied around his neck. This scarf, which features prominently in the composition, adds a vivid touch to the painting’s somber color palette and fully places the subject within the romantic elegance of the waning July Monarchy and the nascent Second Republic. His wavy hair, thin mustache, elongated face, and large eyes give the subject the air of a young dandy—sensitive and literary.

The dog occupies a prominent place in the composition. Placed in the foreground, facing his master with his head raised, he creates a deeply touching dialogue with the subject. His white, brown, and black coat, drooping ears, elongated muzzle, and collar suggest a hunting dog of the spaniel type or a pointing dog/companion hound. Its presence is not merely decorative: it underscores loyalty, social status, a love of hunting, and the intimacy of the portrait.

The composition is built around a beautiful diagonal line: the young man’s face, the red scarf, the hand holding the walking stick, and then the dog’s head. This composition lends movement to an otherwise very understated portrait. The dark, green-black background highlights the complexion of the face, the fair hand, the white collar, and the red of the scarf. The work is fully in line with the French Romantic portrait tradition of the 1830s–1850s, following in the footsteps of the portraits of the July Monarchy, which focused on the subject’s psychology, the elegance of the costume, and an intimate setting.

The painting is signed “E. Cabart” and dated 1848. This signature identifies the work as that of Marie-Ernestine Cabart, née Serret, a 19th-century French painter. A student of Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot, she exhibited at the Paris Salon between 1834 and 1849, first under the name Serret and then under the name Cabart after her marriage. She is known for her portraits, religious subjects, figure studies, and works of delicate execution. The date 1848 corresponds to the height of her career.

Marie-Ernestine Cabart belongs to that generation of women painters trained in private studios and active at the Salon during the July Monarchy. Her connection to Hortense Haudebourt-Lescot—who herself was part of the portrait painting tradition inherited from the late 18th century—gives her work an interesting place in the history of 19th-century French women artists. This portrait demonstrates an artistry attentive to likeness, social distinction, the delicacy of the face, and the model’s psychological presence.

Technique: oil on original canvas.

Signature: signed and dated on the right, E. Cabart 1848.

Dimensions: total 140 cm x 100 cm. Frame: antique gilded frame with molded decoration and a palmette frieze. The painting is slightly larger than the frame, which is worth noting. The frame shows signs of wear, minor imperfections, and visible damage.

Condition: original canvas. An antique painting exhibiting a network of craquelure, surface wear, a darkened original varnish, and visible restoration. Previous interventions on the reverse. Some scuffing and signs of use. The painting remains highly decorative and retains good clarity. Professional restoration and cleaning would help restore depth to the dark background and revive the skin tones, the red scarf, and the details of the dog.