Louis-Léopold Boilly

Portrait of a Young Woman

c. 1800-1825
Category: 
European and American Painting, Sculpture, and Decorative Arts
A sensitive observer of his times, Boilly specialized in scenes of daily life. His interest was caught by the repercussions of the great historic events of the Revolution and Empire, or sometimes by the coyly erotic. He was also a successful portraitist, painting a vast number of such small works. Boilly offered his middle-class clients refined and polished images of themselves, carefully attuned to changing fashions and costumes. Characteristically, this woman is shown up close and addresses us directly.

Marks and labels

– Label: “1379”

– Unidentified label

Provenance

1942/12/16
In auction of “Tableaux anciens”Hôtel Drouot, Paris, France, December 16, 1942 [1]

1961/12/09
In auction of “Tableaux anciens” Palais Galliera, Paris, December 9, 1961, lot no.12 [2]

1961/12/09–1962/10/17
Galerie Cailleux (Paul Cailleux, 1884–1964), Paris, purchased at the Palais Galliera sale [3]

1962/10/17–
National Gallery of Canada, purchased from Galerie Cailleux [4]

Notes

[1] According to records from the service de documentation at the Louvre, the portrait was included in an anonymous sale at the Hôtel Drouot, Paris, on December 16, 1942, as lot no. 45 and sold for 160 000 fr. [undated memorandum, NGC curatorial file].

[2] The picture was offered in an anonymous sale at the Palais Galliera on December 9, 1961. See note [3].

[3] Paul Cailleux's son Jean mentions that the portrait was acquired at auction in Paris, presumably the 1961 sale at Palais Galliera [letter to NGC research assistant Donna Isaac-Gelfrand, March 8, 1977, NGC curatorial file].

[4] The National Gallery of Canada purchased the painting from the Galerie Cailleux on October 17, 1962 [Accession log, NGC curatorial file].

Artist
Title
Portrait of a Young Woman
Date
c. 1800-1825
Medium
Painting
Materials
oil on canvas
Dimensions
21.7 x 16.5 cm
Nationality
French
Credit line
Purchased 1962
Accession number
9926