Presumed portrait of Sophie Coppée (1827-1902), the painter's wife, in their apartment, Prosper Lafaye, circa 1852

In the center of a living room filled with furniture and sculptures, a young woman dressed in a red dress with gold braid stands with her leg resting on a chair and leafs through the pages of an illuminated book. Her posture, at the center of the composition, as well as the style of the neo-gothic decor with coffered windows and stained glass, immediately evoke the portrait of marie d'orléans in her study, painted by lafaye in 1842. According to a family tradition, the painter's descendants owned another version of this painting depicting sophie coppée watching over a newborn. The stained glass window in the hallway in the background, the vase placed on a stand, and most of the sculptures were similar. It is possible that this second painting shortly followed the version in which the young woman is depicted alone reading. This cramped living room, probably one of the rooms in their apartment in montmartre, recalls the style of design that théodore charpentier had created for princess marie d'orléans. Object Type: painting. Date: circa 1852. Dimensions: 32,5 x 38,5 cm. Medium: oil on canvas. Prosper Lafaye - Portrait présumé de Sophie Coppée (1827-1902), épouse du peintre, dans leur appartement