Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 11

American or French Folk Art, Portrait of a Lady with a Dove, Early 19th Century

$2,400
£1,798.36
€2,108.20
CA$3,361.18
A$3,767.31
CHF 1,972.24
MX$46,486.36
NOK 24,775
SEK 23,321.14
DKK 15,727.30
Shipping
Retrieving quote...
The 1stDibs Promise:
Authenticity Guarantee,
Money-Back Guarantee,
24-Hour Cancellation

About the Item

This early 19th-century oil painting presents a delicately rendered half-length portrait of a young woman, executed in a refined provincial manner aligned with American or French folk art traditions. The sitter, posed against a subtly modulated landscape with a low horizon and twilight sky, turns her gaze outward with poised composure. Her features are softly modeled, with particular attention given to the delicate flush of her cheeks and the rounded fullness of her face—hallmarks of academically influenced yet regionally inflected folk portraiture of the period. She is attired in a white empire-style gown with full sleeves gathered by a blue sash, trimmed with coral-pink accents, and adorned with a single strand of pearls. A rose-colored ribbon in her auburn curls and a coral bracelet at the wrist further enhance the sense of genteel ornamentation. Cradled in her right hand is a dove—symbolically associated with purity, peace, or fidelity—a motif not uncommon in feminine portraiture of the early 1800s, often signaling either romantic virtue or a funerary allegory. The naturalistic treatment of the dove, rendered in soft gray and white tones, offers a visual counterpoint to the sitter’s direct expression. While the artist remains unidentified, the painting's formal qualities—flattened perspective, clear contour lines, and carefully detailed textile patterns—are consistent with early American folk portraiture from the Northeast circa 1810–1835, or with contemporaneous French provincial painters influenced by the popular taste for sentimental Neoclassicism. The gold leaf frame, with molded foliate detailing and original ribbon loop hanger, supports a date in the second quarter of the 19th century. The verso exhibits an early hand-wrought stretcher and square-nailed construction, consistent with period technique. Although unsigned, the portrait exemplifies the stylistic fluidity between trained and vernacular practices in the early decades of the 19th century, making it a compelling object of transatlantic folk portraiture and domestic sentiment. Dimensions (framed): 17.625 inches high x 15.375 inches wide
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 17.625 in (44.77 cm)Width: 15.375 in (39.06 cm)Depth: 0.25 in (6.35 mm)
  • Style:
    Folk Art (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Giltwood,Paint
  • Place of Origin:
    United States
  • Period:
    Early 19th Century
  • Date of Manufacture:
    C. 1825
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor wear commensurate with age and use. Frame with some wear.
  • Seller Location:
    Atlanta, GA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU7838245567102

More From This Seller

View All
19th Century French D'ore Bronze Enameled Portrait of A Noble Lady
Located in Atlanta, GA
France, circa 1900. An antique French school painting of a noble women on likely paper or animal bone. The painting is housed inside a bronze d'ore frame and accented by purple ena...
Category

Antique 19th Century French Neoclassical Revival Paintings

Materials

Bronze, Enamel

19th Century French D'ore Bronze Enameled Portrait of A Noble Lady

19th Century French D'ore Bronze Enameled Portrait of A Noble Lady

$716 Sale Price
20% Off
19th Century, American Pencil Drawing of Ann Eugene Dalton Circa 1888.
Located in Atlanta, GA
Wonderful pencil on paper drawing. Exhibited portrait from the David S Ramus Gallery, Atlanta GA.
Category

Antique 19th Century American Drawings

Materials

Giltwood, Paper

19th Century, American Pencil Drawing of Ann Eugene Dalton Circa 1888.

19th Century, American Pencil Drawing of Ann Eugene Dalton Circa 1888.

$556 Sale Price
20% Off
19th Century, Gustave Doens Painting on Celluloid of A French Nude Beauty
Located in Atlanta, GA
Gustave Doens (French, 19th century). This very fine quality antique painting features a beautiful young lady, delicately disrobed under a rich and vibrant landscape. She appears to...
Category

Antique 19th Century French Paintings

Materials

Giltwood

19th Century, Gustave Doens Painting on Celluloid of A French Nude Beauty

19th Century, Gustave Doens Painting on Celluloid of A French Nude Beauty

$1,036 Sale Price
20% Off
18th Century French Neoclassical Hand-Painted Panel on Canvas
Located in Atlanta, GA
Please note this the painting is dark as original photograph displays. This exceptional late 18th-century Neoclassical hand-painted panel, crafted on canvas and mounted to a board,...
Category

Antique Late 18th Century French Neoclassical Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Wood, Giltwood, Paint

18th Century French Neoclassical Hand-Painted Panel on Canvas

18th Century French Neoclassical Hand-Painted Panel on Canvas

$3,895
Exceptional 19th Century French Bronze Frame w/ Portrait Painting of Josephine
Located in Atlanta, GA
This exquisite miniature portrait is attributed to Empress Josephine, capturing her regal presence with remarkable detail and sophistication. She is dressed in a sumptuous white gown...
Category

Antique 19th Century French Empire Picture Frames

Materials

Bronze

Exceptional 19th Century French Bronze Frame w/ Portrait Painting of Josephine

Exceptional 19th Century French Bronze Frame w/ Portrait Painting of Josephine

$1,495
19th Century American, School of George Hetzel O/C Still Life Circa 1868
Located in Atlanta, GA
19th Century American, School Of George Hetzel O/C Still Life Circa 1868. A good quality American oil on canvas still life painting. School of George Het...
Category

Antique 19th Century American American Classical Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

19th Century American, School of George Hetzel O/C Still Life Circa 1868

19th Century American, School of George Hetzel O/C Still Life Circa 1868

$1,000 Sale Price
20% Off

You May Also Like

Naive Portrait of a Girl, English, Early 19th Century
Located in St Annes, Lancashire
Wonderful naive oil painting of a girl. Fabulous muted colors. The austerity of the image is matched by the simplicity of the antique bleached oak frame. I have chosen not to resto...
Category

Antique 1840s English Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oak

Naive Portrait of a Girl, English, Early 19th Century

Naive Portrait of a Girl, English, Early 19th Century

$1,200
Free Shipping
A Mid-Nineteenth Century Portrait of a Distinguished Woman.
Located in Philadelphia, PA
An oil on canvas portrait of a Distinguished Woman, Mid-Nineteenth Century, wearing a silk dress, a suite of gold jewelry including earrings, long necklace and bracelet, and wrapped ...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century French Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paint

A Mid-Nineteenth Century Portrait of a Distinguished Woman.

A Mid-Nineteenth Century Portrait of a Distinguished Woman.

$1,995
Directoire Period Portrait of a Young Woman, circa 1800
Located in Saint-Ouen, FR
Oil on canvas from the Directoire period in an oval shape representing a young woman wearing a pink ribbon and represented in a landscape in which we can distinguish a tree, at sunse...
Category

Antique 19th Century French Paintings

Materials

Giltwood

Directoire Period Portrait of a Young Woman, circa 1800

Directoire Period Portrait of a Young Woman, circa 1800

$3,197
19th-Century Oil Painting - Portrait of a Lady - Emélie
Located in Casteren, Noord-Brabant
A beautiful antique oil painting, portrait of a young lady named Emélie. It is an attractive portrait, the woman has a beautiful, subdued appearance. The painting is not signed or da...
Category

Antique 1880s French Paintings

Materials

Wood

19th-Century Oil Painting - Portrait of a Lady - Emélie

19th-Century Oil Painting - Portrait of a Lady - Emélie

$947
19th Century Oil on Canvas Antique Austrian Painting Lady Portrait, circa 1870
Located in Vicoforte, Piedmont
Antique 19th century Austrian painting. Oil on canvas artwork depicting a female portrait, a young noblewoman in a pose of good pictorial quality. Pai...
Category

Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Paintings

Materials

Canvas

19th Century Oil on Canvas Antique Austrian Painting Lady Portrait, circa 1870

19th Century Oil on Canvas Antique Austrian Painting Lady Portrait, circa 1870

$6,158 Sale Price
20% Off
Free Shipping
Superb Ammi Phillips American Folk Art Portrait Painting, circa 1840
By Ammi Phillips
Located in Vero Beach, FL
Superb Ammi Phillips American Folk Art Portrait painting, circa 1840 We are proud of our acquisition of this authentic masterpiece by Ammi Phillips (1788-1865). The finely rendered portrait depicts an attractive young girl in a delightful lifelike quality. The pretty face is a refreshing change from the stern expressions of most of the paintings showing mature female or male sitters. Phillips palette is dark with a strikingly dramatic use of light to her face. The painting, on its original stretchers, is in untouched condition. The frame is period. This painting is unsigned, as are most of his works, but bares the unmistakable characteristics of a Phillips painting. Portrait of a young girl holding a book and wearing a golden whistle. From the New England estate of the renowned Folk Art Collector and scholar, John Bauer...
Category

Antique 19th Century American Folk Art Paintings

Materials

Canvas

Superb Ammi Phillips American Folk Art Portrait Painting, circa 1840

Superb Ammi Phillips American Folk Art Portrait Painting, circa 1840

$37,000