Portrait of a young woman leaning on a meridienne

The portrait depicts a young woman with dark, curly hair, wearing a white dress with puffy sleeves and a blue skirt. She sits calmly on a yellow chair, her arms crossed and a gold chain around her neck. Her introspective expression and formal attire evoke a sense of serenity and early 19th-century elegance.

Rendered in oil paint, the work showcases Hersent's skill in portraiture, characteristic of French Romanticism. The artist's attention to detail is evident in the subject's attire and accessories.

Louise Hersent was a French painter known for her portraits and historical scenes, regularly exhibiting at the Paris Salon between 1810 and 1824, where she earned first-class medals in 1817 and 1819. Her compositions were also reproduced as engravings.