Antoine Auguste Thivet, French 1856-1927- An... Lot 468

Antoine Auguste Thivet, French 1856-1927- An allegorical portrait of a lady, with peonies and a tiara in her hair, holding an armorial shield, peacock feathers and a censer; oil on canvas, signed 'A Thivet' (lower left), 71.2 x 49.5 cm. Provenance: Private Collection, UK. Note: The present work is typical of Thivet's dreamy portraits of languid female sitters, executed with a looseness which imparts the painting with an airy, ethereal quality. The identity of the sitter remains elusive, with the variety of attributes which accompany her, such as the censer, the bountiful peonies, and the star tiara, suggesting that she may be an allegorical figure. However, the shield that she holds implies that she is a known sitter likely from a known family in Thivet's native France.