Antique Assemblage

Framed Collection of Portrait Sketches

A striking assemblage of nine antique French portrait sketches and character studies, likely 19th century done in charcoal, pencil and ink. Each figure feels like a moment plucked from an artist’s notebook: a man with a sweeping mustache and cap, a woman in profile, loose figure studies, and an expressive bearded man rendered with careful crosshatching. The sketches vary in tone and technique, from bold pen lines to soft pencil shading.

Approximately 18" H x 15 3/8" W

Housed in a thin gold frame with visible aging to the back, this grouping was likely assembled by the artist or a contemporary, a common practice in the 19th and early 20th centuries to preserve studies or present them as a cohesive body of work. There is a signature or handwritten notation on the back panel.

Style it leaning casually on a mantel or propped on a shelf among books and other artworks—it brings charm and personality to even the simplest vignette.