Portrait of a lady in 18th century gown
Fine Arts
2021.6.14.11.FA.PA.C1865.FR
Description
Painting portrait of a woman, represented in 1770s ball dress in pink colour silk richly decorated with white lace and silk bows, holding a wreath of pink roses on her knees in the right hand, and an open green fan in the left hand. The lady is sitting inside on a background of antique style columns with a garden on the left, and a chinoiserie style vase on the right.The rediscovery of the 18th century is in fact a vast movement, which took off at the start of the Second French Empire (1852 - 1870), and which Eugenie de Montijo, the Empress, strongly encouraged. It inspired both art and literature: Alexandre DUMAS published a story of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette in 1853 while the Goncourt brothers began to deliver their writings on art in the 18th century from 1859.
They also influence Eugenie in the performance of her duties. The Empress draws in particular on the entertainment of the Ancien Régime for the imperial festivals: she brings up to date the costume balls where she appears in toilets inspired by the 18th century, as represented by Franz WINTERHALTER in 1854. This taste for the 18th century is found in clothes with ornaments in ribbons, flowers, and knots, as well as in interior decoration, jewelry, fine arts and applied arts.
Materials
Oil on canvasWood
Origin
vers 1865 FranceDimensions
Length : 48 cmHeight : 56 cm