Portrait Of A Young Girl In A White Bonnet, After Jean-baptiste Greuze; French School, Circa 1885

19th-Century French School – Portrait of a Young Girl in a White Bonnet, after Jean-Baptiste Greuze (Dated 1885)
Title: Portrait of a Young Girl in a White Bonnet
Period: 19th century – Dated 1885 on the back
Technique: Oil on original canvas
Canvas dimensions: 46 x 38 cm (Size 8 Figure, indicated by the number “8” on the back)
Dimensions with frame: 60 x 53 cm
Condition: Very good overall condition for its age. The canvas is sound on its original key-frame stretcher, with the paint layer nicely taut.
Frame: Superb 19th-century period frame in carved and gilded wood with fluted moldings, adorned with a frieze of ribboned laurel leaves and a row of pearls. A charming and tender bust portrait depicting a young girl wearing a white pleated bonnet, accented with an ochre satin ribbon. The face, imbued with a gentle melancholy and great sensitivity, is highlighted by a subtle interplay of light and shadow characteristic of 18th-century aesthetics. The fluidity of the drapery and the delicacy of the skin tones attest to the artist’s remarkable skill. This work is a superb reinterpretation of the famous composition by Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725–1805), a closely related variation of which, the Portrait of a Little Girl in a White Bonnet, is housed in Paris at the Musée Cognacq-Jay. The reverse side of the canvas is of particular historical interest to art lovers and collectors:

• It bears the rare oval wet stamp of the prestigious Maison Durand-Ruel, 1 rue de la Paix in Paris.
• It bears the date 1885, corresponding to the pivotal period when Paul Durand-Ruel (1831–1922) —the legendary dealer of the Impressionists—ran his gallery at this prestigious address (1880–1887).
• The number 8 stamped on the canvas corresponds to the official French canvas size (8 Figure), guaranteeing that the canvas was directly manufactured or cataloged by the famous gallery.