Portrait de Madame Edouard Hervé 1884

"Portrait de Madame Edouard Hervé" (1884) is a realist portrait by French artist Alexandre Cabanel (1823-1889), a leading painter of the Second Empire. The artwork portrays a woman of the time, Madame Edouard Hervé, in a pose of casual elegance, seated in a plush armchair. She is dressed in a fashionable white gown with a pink ribbon and a delicate rose pinned to the bodice. The artist's skill in depicting fine detail and conveying subtle emotions is evident in the sitter's gentle demeanor and the intricate patterns of her dress. This portrait showcases the typical subject matter of the period, highlighting the beauty and refinement of the bourgeois class.