Giovanni BONI ***, 19th century French school Portrait of a Zouave in front of the city of Nice Canvas mounted on plywood Signed lower left "Boni Gio 64 x 53 cm (missing and old restorations) The Zouave uniform, designed by Commandant Duvier, was inspired by traditional Algerian male dress. It consisted of a red felt cap known as a "fez", a bolero known as a "bedaïa" and a "sarouel", loose trousers pulled tight at the ankles. A blue belt 40 centimetres wide and 4 metres long wraps around the stomach. Here, the Zouave is wearing the uniform of the Colonial Infantry Corps, worn between 1830 and 1962. He is decorated with three round medals on his left breast: a military medal from Napoleon III's Second Empire and a medal commemorating the Italian campaign (1859).