French School, Circa 1790–1795, Portrait Of A Gentleman In Profile

FRENCH SCHOOL, circa 1790–1795

PORTRAIT OF A GENTLEMAN IN PROFILE

Watercolour and gouache on natural material, unsigned.
Diameter 5.5 cm / 2.2 inches, with frame 7.2 x 9 cm / 2.8 x 3.5 inches

PROVENANCE
Paris, private collection

This finely executed miniature shows a young gentleman in profile, rendered with elegance and precision typical of late 18th-century French portraiture. His powdered hair, tied at the nape with a black ribbon, and his refined attire — featuring a high cravat and a richly colored coat — reflect the aristocratic fashions of the period. The composition is enhanced by the delicate modeling of the facial features and the soft tonality of the background.

Although unsigned, the miniature bears stylistic affinities with the work of Parisian miniaturists active during the final years of the Ancien Régime. A later, apocryphal inscription appears on the reverse.

The work also shows a notable resemblance to miniatures by Augustin Ritt (1765—1799), a Russian portraitist active at the turn of the 18th century. His influence is visible in the treatment of the profile view, the chromatic subtlety, and the elegant restraint of the composition — elements that suggest a shared aesthetic vocabulary among European miniaturists of the period.