Léonard DEFRANCE (Liège, 1735 - 1805) The fortune teller Oil on oak panel, one reinforced board (Restorations) The fortune teller, oil on oak panel, by L. Defrance 14.76 x 10.82 in. 38 x 27.5 cm Provenance: Private collection, Paris The son of a cabaret owner, Léonard Defrance was predestined to depict subjects inspired by popular life, sometimes exploiting its saucy dimension. Although he travelled to Rome, Toulouse and then Paris in the early years of his training, it was in Liège that he spent most of his career, where his involvement in the Revolution earned him a very sulphurous reputation. His taste for erotic detail is well documented1 and multiplies the interpretations that can be made of our panel. 1 - François Dehousse, Maïté Pacco and Maurice Pauchen, Léonard Defrance. L'œuvre peint, Liège, 1985, p. 27 Léonard DEFRANCE (Liège, 1735 - 1805) 38 x 27.5 cm The son of a cabaret owner, Léonard Defrance was predestined to depict subjects inspired by popular life, sometimes exploiting its saucy dimension. Although he travelled to Rome, Toulouse and then Paris in the early years of his training, it was in Liège that he spent most of his career, where his involvement in the Revolution earned him a most sulphurous reputation. His taste for erotic detail is well documented1 and multiplies the interpretations that can be made of our panel. 1 - François Dehousse, Maïté Pacco and Maurice Pauchen, Léonard Defrance. L'œuvre peint, Liège, 1985, p. 27