Oil on canvas portrait, attributed to Francois Bernard (France/Louisiana, 1812-1875), depicting a young woman in mourning dress. The woman is seated and attired in a black dress with elaborate lace collar, and wearing numerous articles of jewelry including a mourning brooch showing the Eye of God. Housed in a period gilt wood frame. Sight - 34" H x 27" W. Framed - 41 3/4" H x 34 1/2" W. Mid 19th century. Provenance: Originally purchased from a Lexington, KY estate. Biography (courtesy Richard Anthony Lewis, Louisiana State Museum/AskArt) Francois Bernard is best known as a New Orleans portrait, landscape, and genre painter. His origins are uncertain but he is thought to have been born around 1829 in France. The Benezit Dictionary of Artists, first published in 1911, lists a Jean Francois Armand Felix Bernard, born 1829, stating that he studied with Jean-Claude Bonnefond and Jean Paul Flandrin at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, but makes no mention of Louisiana scenes. Bernard may have been in New Orleans as early as 1848, but the first newspaper mention of him in that city does not appear until 1856. After that point, he exhibited numerous times, including at the American Exposition in 1885-86. He was awarded a silver medal for "the best head in oil" at the Grand State Fair in 1869. His style has been described as "direct, businesslike, and scrupulously detailed," and he is sometimes compared with fellow New Orleans painter George Coulon. Bernard struggled in the post Civil War Southern economy and moved to Peru shortly before his death in about 1875. (Additional high-resolution photos are available at www.caseantiques.com)

Slight to moderate craquelure overall. Three areas of slight loss to left cheek of sitter with inpainting. Diagonal crease across both top corners, possibly from prior frame. Canvas lined with slight bubbling evident on verso. Small divot right side 2" from top. Frame not original but of the period, later gilt paint.