Spanish School; 1839. "Female portrait". Oil on canvas. It has a period frame. Signed in the lower left corner. Measurements: 39 x 29 cm; 54 x 43 cm (frame). As in the rest of Europe, the portrait became in the XIX century the protagonist genre par excellence of the French painting, as a consequence of the new social structures that were implanted in the western world throughout this century, embodying the maximum expression of the transformation of the taste and the mentality of the new clientele, arisen between the nobility and the high wealthy bourgeoisie, that would take the reins of the history in this period. While official circles gave preponderance to other artistic genres, such as history painting, and the incipient collecting encouraged the profusion of costume paintings, portraiture monopolized the demand for painting destined for the more private sphere, as a reflection of the value of the individual in the new society. This genre embodies the permanent presence of the image of its protagonists, to be enjoyed in the intimacy of a studio, in the daily warmth of a family cabinet or presiding over the main rooms of the house.