Spanish school; circa 1837. "Portrait of a lady. Oil on canvas. It has grainy varnish, repainting and restorations. It has a period frame. Signed: Casanova. Measurements: 127 x 98 cm; 148 x 120 cm (frame). The elegance of the clothes, added to the gesture of the lady gives the work an aristocratic tone. The piece is a great technical exercise with a precise drawing based on the detail and meticuloness, almost documentary in nature, of the details, showing great interest in capturing the textures of the fabrics and the qualities of the jewellery with which the protagonist is portrayed, as well as the elements that make up the still life, in which the reflection and the shine can be appreciated. Despite the extraordinary delicacy with which the tactile qualities of the fabrics of the costume are treated, or for example the boa that falls from her neck creating abundant folds, the portrait is rendered with a spirited, synthetic technique. One of the most notable elements in the scene is the lady's hairstyle. It should be noted that during the 19th century the wig was no longer ed, which led to a proliferation of hair arrangements, to which floral ornaments, jewellery and even wire frames were added to hold the hair up. In the 19th century, the panorama of European portraiture was varied and wide-ranging, with numero influences and largely determined by the taste of both the clientele and the painter himself. However, this century saw the emergence of a new concept of portraiture that would evolve throughout the century and unify all the national schools: the desire to capture the personality and character of the human being, beyond his external reality and social rank, in his effigy. During the previo century, portraiture had be established among the upper classes and was no longer reserved solely for the court. For this reason, as the 18th and even more so in the 19th century, the formulas of the genre became more relaxed and moved away from the ostentatio and symbolic official representations typical of the Baroque apparat. On the other hand, the 19th century reacted against the rigid etiquette of the previo century with a more human and individual conception of life, and this was reflected in all areas, from furniture, which became smaller and morefortable, replacing the large gilded and carved pieces of furniture, to the portrait itself, which came to dispense, as we see here, with all scenographic elements in order to depict the individual rather than the personage. It should also be noted that in the specific case of Spain, the socio-political situation the country was going through led to a proliferation of portraiture, as this genre made it possible to establish the importance of the individual, whether political, aristocratic or social.Dimensions: 127 x 98 cm; 148 x 120 cm (frame).