Spanish school; second half of the 19th century.

Spanish school; second half of the XIX century.
"Portrait of a Girl.
Oil on canvas.
Presents faults.
Measurements: 95 x 65 cm; 113 x 83 cm (frame).
Portrait of intimate and calm composition that is fully inscribed in the conventions of the child portrait of the time, where the representation of childhood becomes a vehicle to express family values, social aspirations and emerging bourgeois sensibilities. The infant figure is seated, in a relaxed pose, with her body slightly turned. The girl wears a neat outfit, consisting of a pink dress with rigid pleating and a beige overcoat ornamented with small bows and finished with lace. The meticulousness in the treatment of the fabrics, as well as the attention to detail in the pleats, embroidery and textures, conforms to the nineteenth-century ideal of naturalistic fidelity and the bourgeois interest in showing status and refinement through clothing. The bouquet of flowers she holds introduces a symbolic motif frequently found in 19th century children's portraiture: the flower as an emblem of innocence, purity and ephemeral character, linked to a romantic conception of childhood as a privileged and fragile stage.