It was sold on March 18, 2018, for an estimated $20,000 - $30,000 in Mexican pesos by Morton Subastas.
Tiburcio Sanchez de la Barquera was an artist born in Hidalgo, Mexico, in 1837. He later moved to Mexico City to pursue his artistic career at the San Marcos Academy, which was later renamed as the National School of Fine Arts. He worked closely with several high-profile artists along with his professor Santiago Rebull. Given his successful development in art, he received an opportunity to create ornamental sets for the Palacio de Minería (Mining Palace) and a life-size statue of Don Benito Juarez for the National Palace. Sanchez passed away in 1902.
Sanchez executed this 70 × 59 centimeters oil-on-canvas artwork, titled "Portrait of a Lady," in 1867. The oval composition of this piece showcases a white, seated woman wearing a blue, white, and gold formal dress beaded with pearl, which are also present hanging around her neck and ears. The unknown woman is also wearing a gold bracelet positioned on her left wrist and on top of her lower stomach area, perhaps placed there intentionally. During the 19th century, portraits of women commonly included high fashion and jewelry, (such as gold, silver, pearls, and precious stones), which served as symbolic visuals to communicate wealth and social status. For this reason, most of the opulent dresses featured in these kinds of portraits had necklines that were low and clean to emphasize the heavy jewelry. Additionally, for the same reason, women often styled their hair in an arranged manner, pushing it back, and adorned it with hair jewelry like tiaras.
The sitter is shown in a pale blue gown with white puffed sleeves, seated and turned slightly toward the viewer. A double strand of pearls falls across her shoulders, with a gold brooch at the centre and a row of pearl drops along the neckline, and a gold bracelet circles her wrist. Her dark hair is pulled back in a neat, braided style. The painting relies on a dark, brownish ground that lets the pale dress and jewels stand out. Her expression is composed and direct, and her folded hands rest at the bottom of the frame. The oval format and the careful attention to dress and jewellery suggest a portrait made for display within a family, where status and respectability were the main subjects.
