Portrait Of Mademoiselle Mars, Fixed Under Glass, 1810

Fixed under glass of mademoiselle Mars actress and friend of Napoléon.
Anne-Françoise Hippolyte Boutet, known as Miss. Mars (1779-1847) was one of the glories of the French Theater. She remained without rival in the employment of the great coquettes. Molière, Marivaux, Sédaine, Beaumarchais have not had a more accomplished performer. She put her fundamentally classical talent at the service of romanticism. Mlle. Mars established her reputation in the roles of Agnes, Henriette, Victorine, Suzanne, Elmire, Célimène, Araminte and Silvia. Natural, grace, wit, finesse, distinction unite in her with a speaking physiognomy, superb eyes, an irresistible smile, an enchanting voice, to achieve an ideal of perfection which had made her nicknamed "the diamond" . She was the favorite actress of Napoleon I.
Painting under glass, or "fixed under glass", involves doing the painting job on the back of a plate of glass. One of the difficulties of the process is to paint the reverse motif and, unlike the normal technique, to execute the details (the nose, the eyes, the flowers) before the background (the face, the landscape). The craftsman uses oil or gouache colors mixed with a special glue. The glass protects the paint and gives it its characteristic smooth and shiny appearance. The brilliance of the paint is incomparable, it is luminous and allows transparencies of the most beautiful.
signed Charles Brandt and dates 1810
France