Henri Clément-serveau (1886–1972) – “portrait Of A Lady,” 1910, Art Nouveau Oil On Canvas, If

This oil on canvas, signed and dated in the lower left corner, depicts a pensive young woman dressed in a delicate lace gown and resting her face on her hands. The composition stands out for its intimate atmosphere, its subtle handling of light, and its chiaroscuro contrasts.

Created early in the artist’s career, this work belongs to his figurative period, which preceded the evolution of his style toward a more geometric style influenced by Cubism in the 1920s. The delicate rendering of the face, hands, and fabrics reflects his academic training and his mastery of portraiture.

Henri Clément-Serveau, born in Paris in 1886, was a painter, draftsman, engraver, and illustrator. Trained notably at the École des Beaux-Arts, he began exhibiting at the Salon des Indépendants in 1905 and went on to pursue a distinguished artistic and institutional career.

The reverse of the stretcher bar bears a stamp from Lefranc & Cie Paris, a renowned Parisian art supply house, providing interesting evidence of the work’s Parisian origin. The painting is presented in its impressive period frame of carved and gilded wood.

Artist: Henri Clément-Serveau (1886–1972)
Title: “Portrait of a Lady”
Date: 1910
Period: early 20th century
Style: Art Nouveau / Belle Époque
Technique: oil on canvas
Signature: signed and dated lower left
Canvas dimensions: 54.5 x 43 cm
Dimensions with frame: 88 x 56 cm
Frame: antique carved and gilded wooden frame
Mark on the reverse: Lefranc & Cie Paris

Condition: excellent overall condition for its age, with fine natural age-related craquelure. A very small restoration is visible on the reverse of the canvas. The piece retains a beautiful antique patina.

A refined work from Henri Clément-Serveau’s early period, of particular interest to collectors of early 20th-century French painting, portraits, and Art Nouveau.