En Garde – 19th Century French Belle Epoque Oil Painting Portrait Fencing Girl circa 1890

‘En Garde!’ by Jean Béraud (1849-1936). This fine Belle Epoque portrait of a fashionable young Parisienne escrimeuses is signed by the artist and presented in a bespoke gold metal leaf frame. As with all the paintings we sell it is offered in the finest condition it can be for its age having just been professionally cleaned, conserved and re-varnished. Clients should also note that tracked and signed for international shipping is complimentary. Jean Béraud was one of the most famous painters of Paris during La Belle Époque. Rather like his contemporary Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894) his evocative paintings of Parisian high society glimpsed in the gardens, salons and boulevards of the French capital are a blend of the academic art of the Salon and that of his friend Édouard Manet and the other French Impressionists. Jean Béraud studied at the Lycée Bonaparte before enrolling with the studio of Léon Bonnat (1833-1922). Béraud first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1873. His association with Alexandre Bernheim (1839-1915), one of France’s most influential dealers, helped bring him considerable commercial success and by 1890 Béraud had established himself as the painter of Parisian life. Jean Béraud was made a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 1887 and an Officer in 1892. Today his paintings are found in the National Gallery in London, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Dimensions: (framed) 52cm x 74cm (20½” x 29”) Dimensions: (canvas only) 33cm x 55¼cm (13” x 21¾”) Medium: Oil on mahogany panel. Provenance: Artist’s panel supplied by F. Dupre of Paris circa 1890s. Various auction stencils verso. Private collection. Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity issued by Patrick Offenstadt, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, November 20, 2019. Presentation: Newly commissioned bespoke gold metal leaf frame. All of the new frames we commission are especially made for us to order by one of the UK’s top period frame makers. Condition: Good. Newly professionally cleaned, restored, and re-varnished. Ready to hang.