Madame Breton (1809-1895)

The present painting, executed on a marble slab and dated 1838, reproduces the composition of "La Jeune Courtisane" (The Young Courtesan), a work executed in 1821 by the French Romantic painter Xavier Sigalon (1787–1837). Presented at the Salon de Paris of 1822, the original painting achieved considerable recognition, having been acquired by the French State in that same year and currently part of the collections of the Musée du Louvre, in Paris.

The version now presented is signed «Mme Breton» and dated 1838, just one year after Sigalon's death. The identification of the author points to Franziska Romana Breton (1809–1895), known as Madame Breton, a figure of Austrian origin who would go on to distinguish herself in France as a pioneer of photography, joining, in 1857, the Société française de photographie.

Although her photographic activity is documented, any practice of painting at an earlier stage of her life remains to be clarified. The signature and date present on the work are therefore of particular relevance, and may point to a lesser-known aspect of Madame Breton's artistic career.

The choice of support for the work, combined with the reproduction of a composition of recognised importance in nineteenth-century French painting, lends it a singular character, bearing witness to the circulation and interpretation of established artistic models in the nineteenth century.