Portrait of a French Gentleman

Fantastic French portrait of a young man dressed in black wearing an arrangement of medals including the Decoration du Lys.

The medals worn by the sitter mark the ascent of the Bourbon King Louis XVIII to the throne after the abdication of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814. The portrait is signed by an Italian artist and dated 1814 on the back.

In the bottom right is written Timor et Spes (Fear and Hope) with an image of the guillotine. It is likely that the young man is wearing the medals of his father who died in the Revolution. (Seneca wrote: "Although they seem different, fear and hope are closely aligned.")

This portrait is mounted within its original gilt frame. 

A fantastic piece of French art that will suit all interiors.