Antique Oval Portrait of a Veiled Young Woman with Roses, Oil on Wax-Lined Canvas, Giltwood Frame, Plaque "B. Ribot (Paris)"
Antique Oval Portrait of a Veiled Young Woman with Roses, Oil on Wax-Lined Canvas, Giltwood Frame, Plaque "B. Ribot (Paris)"
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Item Title: Antique Oval Portrait of a Veiled Young Woman with Roses, Oil on Wax-Lined Canvas, Giltwood Frame, Plaque "B. Ribot (Paris)"
**Additional Description:** An oil portrait of a young woman with dark hair parted in the center, glancing sideways with a faint smile. She wears a sheer white veil trimmed with lace and pink-and-white roses at her temple and shoulder. Her blue velvet-like gown has gold passementerie, or tasseled frogging, at the shoulder. She also wears a fine gold chain necklace with small pearls and a thin gold ring, and her hand holds the edge of the veil. The background is a dark brown-black. Brushwork is smooth in the face and hands, with thicker, textured handling in the roses and gold trim. The painting sits in an oval gilt frame with a molded bead-and-reel inner edge and a carved floral garland. A small brass plaque at the bottom reads "B. RIBOT. (PARIS)." There is a faint, dark, scratchy mark in the lower right of the canvas that may be a signature, but it is illegible in the photos.
**Era:** Mid-19th century, c. 1840-1870 (Romantic / Second Empire period). The frame appears contemporary with the painting, in a Louis-Philippe to Second Empire style.
**History:** The sentimental, idealized portrait of a veiled young woman in a "Madonna-like" pose was popular in 19th-century French and continental academic and salon painting. These works were often painted as genre pieces or as decorative portraits for the middle-class market. The oval format and gilt composition frame with floral garlands were fashionable in France from the 1840s through the 1860s. The plaque names "B. Ribot," but it is unconfirmed whether it refers to the artist, a dealer, or a former owner. It may also have been added later. It should not be taken as an attribution without further research.
**Provenance:** Acquired from an Austin, Texas auction house (please add auction name, sale date, and lot number). The back carries an old printed label from a Cheltenham, England printseller, frame maker, and "restorer of paintings, drawings and engravings," with a second shop in Stratford-on-Avon. This suggests the piece was in England at some point, possibly for reframing or restoration. Handwritten numbers "4228" and "18" (or "1R") on the stretcher and frame are likely old inventory or lot numbers. An earlier label on the crossbar has been mostly torn away.
**Materials:** Oil on canvas, wax-lined (relined onto a second canvas with wax-resin adhesive), on a wooden stretcher with cross braces. The frame is gilded wood with molded gesso or composition ornament. The brass nameplate is secured with tiny pins, the back has linen tape around the edge, and later hanging hardware and wire have been added.
**Dimensions:** Not provided. It appears to be roughly 23 x 20 in (58 x 51 cm) in the frame, with a visible painted area of roughly 17 x 14 in (43 x 36 cm), judging by the photos. Please measure the frame (height x width x depth) and the sight opening before listing.
**Disclaimers / Condition:** Good antique condition with age-appropriate wear. The painting has been wax-lined, a historic conservation treatment. The paint surface shows fine overall craquelure (age cracking), most visible in the face and roses, with minor flaking or small losses along the edge of the veil. There are scattered small specks and dark spots, mostly in the blue gown, and some small surface scratches. The varnish may be aged or yellowed, and no inpainting or restoration has been assessed. The frame has hairline cracks in the gesso, small chips and losses to the floral ornament, rubbed and worn gilding, and some darkened patches. The brass plaque is intact. The back shows old hanging hardware and wire, some wear, and old labels in partial condition. The piece has not been examined under UV light, and no professional authentication or conservation report is available. The signature, if present, is unread and the plaque attribution is unverified. The description reflects visual assessment only. Please review all photos.
**Value:** Estimated retail value of $800-$2,500 USD as an unattributed 19th-century continental portrait in a period frame. The quality of the painting, the charming subject, the sound relining, and the original frame support the upper end. The unverified attribution, craquelure and small losses, and frame damage hold it back. If the signature is read and the artist is identified, or if the "B. Ribot" plaque is tied to a documented artist, the value could change significantly. Consider having it examined by a paintings conservator or appraiser, and compare sold results from Invaluable, LiveAuctioneers, and 1stDibs for similar oval portraits. Because the plaque names Ribot, avoid listing the work as "by" Ribot unless the attribution is confirmed.
Item Title: Antique Oval Portrait of a Veiled Young Woman with Roses, Oil on Wax-Lined Canvas, Giltwood Frame, Plaque "B. Ribot (Paris)"
**Additional Description:** An oil portrait of a young woman with dark hair parted in the center, glancing sideways with a faint smile. She wears a sheer white veil trimmed with lace and pink-and-white roses at her temple and shoulder. Her blue velvet-like gown has gold passementerie, or tasseled frogging, at the shoulder. She also wears a fine gold chain necklace with small pearls and a thin gold ring, and her hand holds the edge of the veil. The background is a dark brown-black. Brushwork is smooth in the face and hands, with thicker, textured handling in the roses and gold trim. The painting sits in an oval gilt frame with a molded bead-and-reel inner edge and a carved floral garland. A small brass plaque at the bottom reads "B. RIBOT. (PARIS)." There is a faint, dark, scratchy mark in the lower right of the canvas that may be a signature, but it is illegible in the photos.
**Era:** Mid-19th century, c. 1840-1870 (Romantic / Second Empire period). The frame appears contemporary with the painting, in a Louis-Philippe to Second Empire style.
**History:** The sentimental, idealized portrait of a veiled young woman in a "Madonna-like" pose was popular in 19th-century French and continental academic and salon painting. These works were often painted as genre pieces or as decorative portraits for the middle-class market. The oval format and gilt composition frame with floral garlands were fashionable in France from the 1840s through the 1860s. The plaque names "B. Ribot," but it is unconfirmed whether it refers to the artist, a dealer, or a former owner. It may also have been added later. It should not be taken as an attribution without further research.
**Provenance:** Acquired from an Austin, Texas auction house (please add auction name, sale date, and lot number). The back carries an old printed label from a Cheltenham, England printseller, frame maker, and "restorer of paintings, drawings and engravings," with a second shop in Stratford-on-Avon. This suggests the piece was in England at some point, possibly for reframing or restoration. Handwritten numbers "4228" and "18" (or "1R") on the stretcher and frame are likely old inventory or lot numbers. An earlier label on the crossbar has been mostly torn away.
**Materials:** Oil on canvas, wax-lined (relined onto a second canvas with wax-resin adhesive), on a wooden stretcher with cross braces. The frame is gilded wood with molded gesso or composition ornament. The brass nameplate is secured with tiny pins, the back has linen tape around the edge, and later hanging hardware and wire have been added.
**Dimensions:** Not provided. It appears to be roughly 23 x 20 in (58 x 51 cm) in the frame, with a visible painted area of roughly 17 x 14 in (43 x 36 cm), judging by the photos. Please measure the frame (height x width x depth) and the sight opening before listing.
**Disclaimers / Condition:** Good antique condition with age-appropriate wear. The painting has been wax-lined, a historic conservation treatment. The paint surface shows fine overall craquelure (age cracking), most visible in the face and roses, with minor flaking or small losses along the edge of the veil. There are scattered small specks and dark spots, mostly in the blue gown, and some small surface scratches. The varnish may be aged or yellowed, and no inpainting or restoration has been assessed. The frame has hairline cracks in the gesso, small chips and losses to the floral ornament, rubbed and worn gilding, and some darkened patches. The brass plaque is intact. The back shows old hanging hardware and wire, some wear, and old labels in partial condition. The piece has not been examined under UV light, and no professional authentication or conservation report is available. The signature, if present, is unread and the plaque attribution is unverified. The description reflects visual assessment only. Please review all photos.
**Value:** Estimated retail value of $800-$2,500 USD as an unattributed 19th-century continental portrait in a period frame. The quality of the painting, the charming subject, the sound relining, and the original frame support the upper end. The unverified attribution, craquelure and small losses, and frame damage hold it back. If the signature is read and the artist is identified, or if the "B. Ribot" plaque is tied to a documented artist, the value could change significantly. Consider having it examined by a paintings conservator or appraiser, and compare sold results from Invaluable, LiveAuctioneers, and 1stDibs for similar oval portraits. Because the plaque names Ribot, avoid listing the work as "by" Ribot unless the attribution is confirmed.