Up for sale is a phenomenal 19th century French portrait of a young man picking holy during the cold winter. With his scarf wrapped high reaching his mouth and a hat covering his hair leaves just the middle of his face to view. The brushwork is excellent and fine especially seen in the boys face / rosy cheeks. The artist added some nice color to the scarf mirroring a stained glass window which your eyes are quickly drawn too. The landscape is rather barren and void of color making this portrait have a feeling of isolation and giving it a freezing atmosphere. This work is signed illegibly as the signature is partially seen in the lower left portion but has faded over time,with a date present under the name of 1885 or 1886.  Resting in its original gold gesso wood frame measuring 15 x 18 inches this oil painting on artist board measures 9.5 x 12.5 inches. Executed on "Muller Paris" artist board as seen verso, the name "Ulred" is both written in pencil and etched into the backside. The condition of the painting is excellent showing very little wear and it would appear the frame has been professionally restored. This work came out of a large collection of 100+ European works but unfortunately the provenance was lost for this work with its previous owner. All the family knew is that this came from a rather important artist... The images provided accurately represent the quality, condition and aesthetic beauty of this antique French portrait but if you have any questions please feel free to ask prior to purchasing!