(Paris 1762–1825 Bois d’Arcy)
Portrait of a young lady with a rose,
oil on canvas, 64.7 x 54 cm, framed

The present elegant portrait from the late Louis XVI period was for a long time considered to be the work of Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, to whose works it is very similar.

Joseph Baillio, who recently examined the painting in the original, however, rejected an attribution to Vigée-Lebrun and suggested Marie Victoire Lemoine instead. Only recently has it been possible to identify the painting as the work of the rare society painter, Bouliar.

Marie-Geneviève Bouliar was born in 1762 as the only daughter of a tailor in Paris. She was educated by a leading portrait painter from Paris, Joseph Duplessis. She had her debut in the Paris Salon of 1791. As a result, she received many commissions from the emerging bourgeoisie and worked, except for a few attempts in history painting, almost exclusively in portraiture. Her work enabled her, similarly to Vigée-Lebrun, to quickly climb the social ladder. She always remained in France, and only in old age could she reestablish connections with the aristocracy when this resumed its status during the Restoration. Until 1817 she continuously exhibited at the Salon.