MATHILDE RUINART DE BRIMONT 1838 - 1911 Portrait of a Gentleman Portrait of a gentlewoman Signed Mathilde de Brumont on the button and centre right and dated 1862 Pastels on cardboard, 64X55(2) cm Mathilde Ruinart de Brimont, also known as Mathilde Sallier de La Tour after her marriage, was a prominent figure of the Parisian nobility in the 19th century, as well as a talented painter and music lover. Mathilde came from the prestigious Ruinart de Brimont family, linked to the famous champagne house Ruinart. Her father, Jean-Arthur Ruinart de Brimont, was a councillor at the Court of Counts, and the family boasted connections with French and Italian nobility. She studied painting in Sweden at the Academy of Fine Arts and later at the Accademia Albertina in Turin. She used the male pseudonym Paul Mahaut to exhibit her works, participating in the 4th National Exhibition of Fine Arts in Turin in 1880 with four paintings: among her best-known works is a portrait of Queen Margaret of Savoy. After the separation from her husband, Mathilde settled in Rome with her daughter where she continued to paint until the end of her life, leaving a significant mark on the artistic and cultural scene of the time. Her life and works bear witness to the determination and talent of a woman who, despite the social conventions of the time, managed to make her mark in the world of art and culture