Portrait Of A Woman, Miniature On Ivory, End Of The 18th Century.

In the eighteenth century, the supports of miniatures are numerous, polished plaster, vellum, ivory, paper, strong cardboard.
Vellum was widely used in France until the 1760s when it was supplanted by ivory, the use of which spread after the visit of the Venetian pastel artist and miniaturist Rosalba Carriera in 1720.
All these different supports are the subject of preparations. specific but all miniatures are painted with gouache and / or watercolor.

This miniature, of a very high quality of execution, does not bear a signature but it is an excellent hand, very close to the miniaturist François Dumont (1751- 1831). This artist, much appreciated by queen Marie-Antoinette of whom he was the favorite miniaturist, will achieve, under the Directory and under the Empire, an exceptional mastery in the art of miniature, especially in his female portraits.
He is an artist, a follower of this master, who has assimilated his know-how particularly well.

Note the extreme finesse of the work, in particular that of the hair and the lace decorating the neckline and the sleeve.
The hairstyle raised with a ribbon and the dress allow this charming portrait to be dated to the last third of the 18th century.

Gouache on ivory mounted on cardboard.
Small gap at the bottom right.