Portrait Of Hortense Allart De Meritens, By Abel De Pujol (1785–1861), First Half Of The 19th Century

Portrait of Hortense Allart de Meritens.
Signed and dated on the reverse: Hortense Allart, Abel de Pujol.
France, Empire style, first half of the 19th century.

Alexandre-Denis Abel de Pujol (born in 1785 in Valenciennes, died in 1861 in Paris)—French painter, student of Jacques-Louis David, and representative of Neoclassicism. Known for his large-scale historical and allegorical works commissioned by the Louvre and the Château de Fontainebleau, as well as for numerous murals in Parisian churches.

Oil on canvas mounted on board.
Dimensions with frame: 47 cm x 37 cm.
Interior dimensions: 40 cm x 30 cm.
Condition: very good.

Hortense Allart de Meritens (1801–1879), also known by the pseudonym Prudence de Saman L’Esbatx, was a French feminist writer. She became known due to the scandal caused by the publication of *Les enchantements de Prudence, Avec George Sand*. She had a long-standing romantic relationship with George Sand, whose name appears in the book’s title. Allart was an active participant in the circles