Paul de La Boulage (XIX-XX) - Retrato de dama. Ca 1898

Portrait of a Lady

Paul de La Boulage, 1898

Provenance: European private collection
Region: France
Period: 1898 – Belle Époque
Material: Oil on canvas
Style: French academic realism
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Female portrait executed in oil on canvas by Paul de La Boulage, signed and dated in the upper right corner in 1898. The work shows a mastery of academic portraiture typical of the Belle Époque, with a serene psychological study and modeling of great technical precision.

The face is constructed with fine glazes and controlled brushwork, creating smooth tonal transitions and a balanced chiaroscuro that focuses the light on the features. The clothing—characteristic of French fashion from the 1890s—is depicted with an almost sculptural sensitivity, achieving depth and volume without sacrificing sobriety.

The canvas exhibits fine, uniform craquelure, common in 19th-century pieces, and retains its original stretcher, where the circular imprint of an old supplier's label or stamp, probably of French manufacture, can be discerned. The signature, in reddish pigment, remains clear and legible.

Artist biography

Paul de La Boulage was a French painter active in the last quarter of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, specializing in portraiture, genre painting, and intimate scenes. His style belongs to the French academic tradition after the Second Empire, characterized by a strong command of drawing, the use of glazes, and an interest in the psychological representation of his subjects.
Throughout his career, his work has appeared in prestigious European auction houses such as Bonhams, Artcurial, Dorotheum, Aguttes, Horta, and other specialized institutions, confirming his established presence in the international market for French academic painting. Portraits like this one are valued for their elegance, restraint, and refined technical execution.

Dimensions: 61 × 52.5 cm