Portrait of a Merovingian Woman

Oil on canvas

46.5 × 27.8 cm

Monogrammed (centre right): “J.P.L”

Jean-Paul Laurens may be considered one of the last representatives of official history painting in nineteenth-century France. Through his erudition, his exceptional narrative sense, and his taste for carefully constructed mises-en-scène, this chronicler of medieval and Byzantine history contributed to the renewal of the genre and enjoyed considerable renown under the Third Republic. Laurens was also attentive to the evocative power of costume, using historical dress as a means of suggesting a vanished world.

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Our Portrait of a Merovingian Woman reflects his fascination with the early medieval period. The sitter is shown in strict profile, her countenance emerging from a dark background. Her golden headdress and mantle, enriched with rows of pearls and jewel-like ornaments, evoke the splendour of Frankish nobility while preserving an atmosphere of restraint and sobriety.