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A truly exquisite and impressively sized early 19th Century genre scene. This very early Victorian interior scene shows the happy moment a young woman receives her letter of engagement from her suitor. The beautiful young woman clutches the letter to her chest with a wide eyed smile. Her sisters gather round her, leaning in close, one holding her gently by the arm, both with smiles of joy on their faces. To the right the young girl's father and the messenger who brought the letter, watch on with happiness in their eyes. The scene wonderfully captures an intimate family moment, deeply enriched with happiness and pride. The darkened interior highlights the delicate beauty of the young woman with her soft blonde hair, pale skin and bright blue eyes, the light seems to pool around her. The artist has used successful flashes of colour to add points of interest in the scene, particularly in the red of the young woman's ribboned bodice that draws the eye to the letter clutched at her chest and similarly, the vibrant red of her seated sister's show that pulls attention to the envelope that has been discarded with feverish excitement, to the floor. This piece is of excellent quality and captures the style and preoccupations of the early Victorian era. Whilst the painting is unsigned, their is a dedication inscribed in French at the reverse translating to "A tribute of recognition offered to Mr. H. Grand by his very affectionate J. Lestu. 1837" This could indicate that this was commissioned by Mr H. Grand by J. Lestu, to commemorate the engagement of his daughter. On canvas.
Condition
The condition is typical for a picture of this age including some darkening to the varnish. their is some craquelure to the surface and a faint impression of the auxiliary spline in the canvas. their is some wear to the paint at the outer edges. The painting appears to have been re-stretched in the late 19th Century, however it has not been re-lined. Inspection under UV light reveals areas of restoration. their are a large number of canvas repairs to the reverse from various different periods. Most are very successfully restored front and back, however, one canvas repair at the upper left corner has been crudely executed and is visible from the front, leaving a slight dent in the canvas an an area of differently textured paint.
