Oil Portrait Of A Young Woman, Signed By émile Nickels, 1881

An old portrait depicting a young woman in a bust portrait, wearing a black dress with a white collar, against a brown background with warm tones.

The understated composition highlights the face, hairstyle, and details of the costume. This painting follows the tradition of late 19th-century bourgeois portraiture.

The canvas bears the signature “E. Nickels” and the date 1881.

Condition: shows craquelure, wear, and some visible paint loss. The canvas retains its original patina and appearance.

Émile Nickels (1850–1910)

Émile Nickels was a French painter born on November 30, 1850, in Ancy-le-Franc, in the Yonne department, and who died in Paris on November 22, 1910.

A student of the painter Jean-Léon Gérôme, a leading figure in 19th-century French academic painting, he made his debut at the Paris Salon in 1875. He then continued his career by participating in Parisian exhibitions, notably presenting drawings and pastels.

His body of work encompasses a variety of subjects, including portraits and landscapes. His paintings reflect the French pictorial tradition of the second half of the 19th century.

One of his religious works, *The Assumption*, is housed in the Sainte-Colombe parish church in Ancy-le-Franc, his hometown.

Émile Nickels thus belongs to the generation of painters trained in the French academic tradition, active during a period when bourgeois portraiture played a significant role in the art market.