Portrait of Anne-Sophie de PONS

Portrait of a lady depicted seated on a chair in three-quarter pose, her face turned towards the viewer with a gentle smile on her lips. She wears an emerald-green dress and a deep-blue poke hat with a yellow interior. The headwear is decorated with blue feathers and a long ribbon tied beneath the chin, securing the capote. The dress is constructed in a straight silhouette and features a white ruffled lapel collar, beneath which cape-like fabric leaves create an additional layer. The dress has voluminous sleeves with ruffled cuffs of matching fabric, each encircled by a ribbon. The high waist is emphasised by a thin black belt. Below, a long skirt extends towards the lower edge of the composition.

The lady is seated on a wooden chair enveloped in a multicoloured crocheted blanket, which is draped behind her and over her lap. In her hand, she holds a small piece of paper bearing the inscription “Madame de Lagolce Villeneuve”, in reference to her husband.

The portrait is set within a thick wooden frame.

The sitter is identified as Anne-Sophie de PONS (1769–1849) who was a French noblewoman from Saint-Pastour, Lot-et-Garonne, born into the prominent de PONS family. The daughter of Raymond de PONS, a doctor, squire, and Lord of Colombier, and Marie de Grenier de Malardeau, Lady of Saint-Léger, she lived through the upheaval of the French Revolution. Widowed after the death of her first husband, Caprais Sarrette, in 1800, she later married Jean-Louis Martin de Lagolce and settled in Villeneuve-sur-Lot, where she spent the remainder of her life until her death in 1849 at the age of 80.