a fine pencil portrait of a lady, probably French and likely to be a preparatory drawing for a painted portrait in oil .
The laid paper was manufactured in france by gillet & Fils as indicated by their water mark visible when held up to the light , which reads ... patent g&f with an m below probably to indicate size or paper thickness. their paper was prized for graphite and charcoal work. In late 19th-century France, this specific type of paper was favored by academic draftsmen, realists, and early Impressionists alike for spontaneous outdoor sketching or preparatory studio work. The word "PATENT" was watermarked into the sheet as a luxury marketing tool to signal to French artists and stationery shops (papeteries) that the specific mechanical spacing of the grid lines was legally protected and of superior quality.
unsigned.
unframed.
paper size ... 410mm x 340mm
