Georges-Auguste Elie LAVERGNE (Paris, 1863 - 1942) Portrait of a Woman in Black with a Hat Adorned with Yellow Flowers Oil on canvas Signed 'Georges Lavergne' lower right No frame Portrait of woman in black with hat decorated with yellow flowers, oil on canvas, signed, by G. -A. E. Lavergne 59.06 x 25.2 in. 150.0 x 64.0 cm Provenance: Gérard Lévy Collection ; Then by descent Exhibitions: Esthètes et Magiciens / Symbolistes des collections parisiennes, Paris, Musée Galliera, December 1970 - January 1971, cat. no. 78: "Dame en noir". L'Art et la Vie en France à la Belle Époque, Île de Bendor, Fondation Paul Ricard, September - October 1971, cat. no. 243: "Femme en noir" ("Woman in Black") A pupil of Henri Lévy and Jules Lefèbvre, a regular exhibitor at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1888 onwards and winner of the Prix de Rome in 1892, Georges Lavergne established a solid reputation as a portrait painter, which is not contradicted by our striking portrait of a woman. The artist depicts her in a wooded park overlooking a vast body of water, dressed in black fur and a large hat, her face somewhat dreamy and covered in a mantilla. Set against an autumn landscape strewn with dead leaves, this portrait of an elegant woman seems to be in the spirit of James Tissot's best compositions. Georges-Auguste Elie LAVERGNE (Paris, 1863 - 1942) 150.0 x 64.0 cm A pupil of Henri Lévy and Jules Lefèbvre, a regular exhibitor at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1888 and winner of the Prix de Rome in 1892, Georges Lavergne established a solid reputation as a portrait painter, which is not contradicted by our striking portrait of a woman. The artist depicts her in a wooded park overlooking a vast body of water, dressed in black fur and a large hat, her face somewhat dreamy and covered in a mantilla. Set against an autumn landscape strewn with dead leaves, this portrait of an elegant woman seems to be in the spirit of James Tissot's best compositions.