About this lot

Description

'The Flower Girl' oil on canvas 123 x 100 cm

Footnote: The present painting is a copy after the original in the Dulwich Picture Gallery. The identity of the young sitter, known for her elusive half smile, has been the subject of much discussion - she has been variously described as a personification of spring, a flower seller, a gipsy girl and even a courtesan. It has been suggested that the sitter is the artist's only daughter Francisca María (1655-1710), who in 1671 entered a Dominican convent, taking the name Sister Francisca María de Santa Rosa. Painted in the guise of a flower girl, the roses here would be symbolic of Francisca's new name she took upon entering the convent.

Condition report: A 19th Century copy. Oil on canvas which has been lined. There are undulations at the corners of the canvas. The paint layer is in a good, stable condition overall. There are some pale drying cracks in the sky. Broad, brushy retouchings are visible around the sitter and in her hair. The retouchings have become slightly matte with age. The varnish is slightly yellowed but even and semi-glossy. There is a layer of surface dirt on the varnish. The frame has several losses to the moulding and gilded surface.

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