Favourite of the month

JEAN-AUGUSTIN FRANQUELIN
1798 – 1839

Irina and Léonie – The Republicans

Oil on canvas, signed Franquelin
lower left

Dimensions: 48 x 40 cm
Framed dimensions: 60 x 52 cm

This finely executed scene by Jean-Augustin Franquelin belongs to the tradition of intimate nineteenth-century interiors, where every visible element carries historical or emotional significance. Within a sober yet carefully structured interior, two young women occupy the composition: one is seated, arranging her hair before a small table mirror; the other, reclining on a bed, gazes dreamily toward her companion or toward the viewer, suggesting an intimate bond between the two figures.

The modest furnishings — a wooden bed, table, chair, small red mirror, and bedside rug — are rendered with realism and restraint.