Julius Mante (Attributed), Portrait Of A Lady

Julius Mante (Attributed), Portrait Of A LadyAn enigmatic charcoal portrait of a middle aged lady attributed to German artist Julius Mante (1841 1907). The artist has captured an expression that's deliberately tricky to decipher. What do you see? Strength? Shyness? Regret? It's plausible that Mante completed this work during his training at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich. The portrait is signed in the lower right and housed within a good later frame. Medium: Charcoal on paperOverall size: 19 x

Could it be a keepsake from a relative killed during the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871)

Perhaps the artist is trying to convey her vivacious character

what caught his eye

A fine mid-19th-century portrait of a lady wearing a predominantly black outfit with a white bonnet

An early 20th-century oil on canvas depicting an older man walking to work by Dutch artist

A mid-20th-century cubist oil painting depicting a man in a hat

Several of his paintings have sold through the leading auction houses and here are a few examples

The board has a curve

1915Provenance: EnglandCondition: Areas of light craquelure

A beautiful portrait of Lydia Augusta Allen (1810-1890) wearing a sumptuous black dress

two figures are resting by a large leaning tree

Bernhardt was a household name and perhaps the first A-list celebrity