Lot Essay
Paul Flandrin fled Paris during the Revolution of 1871 that led to the downfall of Napoléon III, and stayed in Angers with Auguste Pichon (1805-1900). He was accompanied by his wife and her family, the Desgoffes. Flandrin's father-in-law, Alexandre Desgoffes, Pichon and Flandrin were all former students of Ingres. The present portrait is presumably a portrait of a member of the Pichon or Desgoffe family.