Madame Georges Anthony with Her Son Joseph (after Prud'hon)
French
A young lady lifts her cheerfully smiling child from a small table into the air. It seems that she pauses for a moment in her actions in order to turn to the observer; however, her posture reveals her to be a mother proudly displaying her child. Being fresh and vivid and lacking any kind of artificial air, the depiction is exceptionally natural. The unusual positions of the persons portrayed, the contrast of bright colours with the dark background, and last but not least the lack of unnecessary details combine to create an immediate and spontaneous impression.
This is a smaller copy of a portrait showing Madame Georges Anthony (née Louise Démandre) from Arc-les-Gray painted by Pierre-Paul Prud’hon in the year 1796, which is exhibited in the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Museum of Fine Arts) in Lyon. In fact the second son is missing in the miniature.
D. O.