Frederic Soulacroix: Frederic Soulacroix was the son of the well-known painter and sculptor Charles J. Soulacroix. He lived in Rome until the spring of 1863, later in Boulogne-sur-mer (where his father was painting the frescos of the local cathedral), then in Paris, and finally Firenze, Italy. At 15, in 1873, Frederic entered the Academia di Belle Art of Firenze and October of 1876, he was admitted to the Scuola di Pittura.

An artist who enjoyed an enormous success, his paintings were mainly for private customers coming from USA, England, Germany, South America and Canada. An exceptional observer, Soulacroix paid great attention to minute detail in his work. As this painting exemplifies, the artist has captured the finest elements of texture, luster and reflection and rendered them with meticulous technique. The sheen of the damask wall-covering, the furnishings (the settee and period gueridon), the polished finish of the marble floor, and the life-like rendering of the pearl necklace, all take the viewer back to the richness of the Empire era.