Eye Candy for Today: Joseph Coomans portrait

Portrait of a Young Woman, Pierre Oliver Joseph Coomans (1816-1871), oil on canvas, 19 x 15 in. (48 x 38 cm). The link is to the Wikimedia Commons page from which you can view or download a large image. The image source is a 2017 Bonham’s auction, so I assume the painting is in a private collection. Beautifully and delicately rendered, this portrait is an exercise in softly turned transitions, soft edges and carefully controlled color and value relationships. I love the little splashes of light on her hair and costume, and even on the ends of the eyelashes on the lower lid of her right eye (to our left, images above, second from top). Look at the simple, painterly brush strokes that make up the highlights on her hair.