Portrait of a French Army Officer with a Great Moustache, 1860s, Oil Painting on Canvas, Framed

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Description

Discover this portrait of a French army officer, painted with a sabre at his hip and a moustache you could … Read more Discover this portrait of a French army officer, painted with a sabre at his hip and a moustache you could set your watch by. He has been given to us in a gloriously cartoony register — the gaze a touch theatrical. And that, we must confess, is exactly why we fell for him. This one has personality — the kind that survives a century and a half and still makes you grin from across a room.

Look closely and his face is webbed with fine craquelure, that delicate map time draws across old oil. On him it doesn't read as age so much as feeling — it softens all the martial swagger into something almost tender.

Reading the Portrait - He wears his rank plainly: heavy gold bullion epaulettes, the unmistakable mark of a commissioned officer, and the famous pantalon garance — those splendid red trousers the French army kept right up to the First World War. On his chest, two decorations. The first is instantly recognisable: the Légion d'honneur, France's highest order of merit, founded by Napoleon in 1802 and never handed out lightly — it had to be earned. The second is a golden, radiant star on a dark ribbon: clearly the badge of an order, though painted with enough folk-art freedom that we'll let its exact name stay a mystery. That first medal also tells us his age. Under the empires it wore a crown; the Republic swapped it for a laurel wreath in 1870. His is crowned — so he was painted before then, under Napoleon III's Second Empire, circa 1855–1870. The keyed stretcher and hand-tacked linen on his reverse agree.

His condition? He wears his age gracefully. Overall the portrait is in lovely, stable condition and presents beautifully — nothing that distracts from his considerable charm. On closer inspection there are a few light scratches to the canvas surface, and two faint diagonal streaks in the lower right that appear to be traces of gold paint (?). Along the left edge, beside the frame, there is some minor paint loss — most likely from the frame itself rubbing against the canvas over the years. Fine craquelure runs throughout, particularly across the face, adding to rather than detracting from his character. The canvas remains on its original keyed stretcher, and the giltwood frame shows honest wear consistent with age.
In short: a painting that has lived a long life, and looks all the better for it.

And a small idea, with a wink - He is marvelous in a child's room. We styled him on the mantel of a sky-blue bedroom, presiding over a model biplane and a squadron of toy sailboats, looking thoroughly delighted.

Dimensions: H 87 × W 70 cm x D 5 cm
Subject: French army officer, decorated (Légion d'honneur and a second order), Second Empire
Materials & Techniques: Oil on canvas, giltwood frame
Date: France, circa 1855–1870 (Second Empire)
Attribution: Unsigned. As with most portraits of this kind, the painter's name has not come down to us; the dating rests on the uniform, the decorations, the painting technique and the materials.

Please keep in mind that in many cases we sell vintage and antique pieces. None of these pieces should be considered new or in perfect condition.

All of our vintage products show the rich beauty and history of their life with the knocks and bumps of many years of use. We restore our pieces so they will be clean and in a good working condition. However we try to minimise restoration to keep every piece as original as possible.

The physical object can differ slightly in colour from the object as presented online. We have made every effort to display colours accurately, but cannot guarantee that the pictures accurately reflect the colour of those goods in real life. This piece is designed in the style of the selected designer and/or manufacturer See less