French School Circa 1815 - Portrait Of A Young Boy

French school circa 1815
Portrait of a young boy
Oil on canvas
H. 84 cm; W. 70 cm

Provenance: Señor Valdes Fauri Collection, Madrid circa 1900/1950 ; then Private collection, Bordeaux

This young boy is wearing a suit whose trousers and waistcoat seek to resemble his blue eyes tending towards grey in colour. The tie tied around a very wide collar was most certainly chosen for the same colour matching, as for the jacket, it contrasts the whole to give a certain depth to this touching composition. Arranged in a three-quarter view, this child turns his face away so as not to meet the viewer's gaze, something quite rare in portraits of this period. He is leaning on the back of a chair and holds in his crossed hands a large bound book whose red edge emerges on the right.