Located in Valladolid, ES
A refined and unique portrait of a young noblewoman or aristocrat, executed in pastel on paper, signed by Edmond Jewrin and dated 1843. She is depicted in three-quarter view, seated in an armchair, with an innocent expression, her head slightly inclined to the left, looking directly at the viewer. She wears a beautiful white lace dress with bare shoulders, her arms resting in her lap.
The leaf headdress is not merely an aesthetic embellishment, but rather part of the coded language of fashion and Romanticism of the period, symbolizing fidelity, marriage, and unwavering affection. Furthermore, during the 1840s and 1850s, there was a strong influence of classical mythology on formal court hairstyles. Adorning the hair with garlands of leaves (in the style of a laurel wreath or Bacchus wreath) evoked nymphs and goddesses of nature, projecting an image of purity, youth, and connection with nature.
Despite the neutral, flat background in pastel blue, the artist manages to create space using a careful and precise technique, which meticulously captures the sitter's sweet facial features. It follows in the footsteps of the great 19th-century portrait painters of the Central European school, such as Franz Xaver Winterhalter. It retains its original oval, gilded wooden frame, protected by glass.
The 19th century has sometimes been called "The Century of the Portrait." From its very inception, portraiture was associated with figures of economic, social, or political power who wished to display and perpetuate their influence, but it experienced its golden age during this century, especially in the last third, as it became a coveted form of distinction among those who could afford it. It extended to all kinds of techniques: painting, sculpture, medal making, miniatures, watercolor, drawing, etching, lithography, photography… Moreover, the influence of photography and the arts' growing move towards realism led to increasingly naturalistic depictions of effigies.
A magnificent work that visually enriches any setting, adding distinction and historical narrative.
Technical Data
Technique on support: Pastel on paper
Author: Signed Edmond Jewrin, Central European School
Title of the work: “Female Portrait”
Year: 1843
Good condition for its age and use. Frame restoration possible (quote available upon request).
Overall dimensions: 95 x 80 x 6 cm.
Dimensions without frame: 72 x 58 cm.
Pastel on paper “Aristocratic Portrait...
Category
1830s Romantic Frank Catano Paintings