Attributed to Pierre Mignard (1612-1695, French), "Portrait of a Lady," 18th c., oil on canvas, unsigned with "Mignard" artist plaque attribution on frame, presented in a gilt and gesso frame, H.- 27 1/2 in., W.- 21 1/2 in., Framed- H.- 35 7/8 in., W.- 29 7/8 in.
Condition
The top of the canvas has ¼ (H & W) of an inch paint loss to canvas, to the proper left of the sitter’s head. This should be an easy fill and repair to canvas according to the restorer we work with locally. There are several bubbles visible to canvas, most notably in sitter’s hair and to the right of the sitter’s neck. One of the small bubbles on the hairline by the wisp of hair on her face has minor paint flecking. The blue wrap has 1/16th of an inch loss of paint to surface on the proper right side of the portrait. On that same side, there is a faint surface scratch to canvas, approximately 16 inches from the top proper right side of the canvas to just below the jewel fascinator on her shoulder. Additionally, there is minor paint loss to canvas in three separate locations on the bottom proper right corner. Upon looking at the canvas, the circular border around the figure shows what looks to be two canvases. There is a slight hairline separation around the entire oval, which can be seen more clearly in the photos. It is possible that the original canvas had damage and was re-lined in one of the later centuries. When looking at the borders of stretched canvas (without the frame) you can see that it is starting to detach from areas where the nails have been hammered in – typically happens with aging. The frame has some gesso and gilding loss throughout, but particularly on the bottom, proper right and top of the frame. In conclusion, this painting could use a good cleaning and minor repairing. It is a very handsome example.
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