Description
A stylish vintage minced media figurative artwork depicting two women caught in a quiet moment on a stair case.
One figure sits in the foreground, while the second sits behind wearing a broad-brimmed hat and attending to something in her hands. The scene is loosely described rather than heavily detailed, giving the work an almost fashion-illustration quality.
The limited palette is particularly effective. Fine black lines form the figures, furniture and architectural details, while restrained touches of warm coral-red highlight the hat ribbons, accessories and signature.
Pale cream ground has been worked with a pronounced textured surface, and close inspection reveals genuine areas of paint build-up and hand-applied detail across the board. This gives the piece considerably more depth and character than a conventional flat reproduction.
There is a pleasing spontaneity to the linework, particularly around the figures, clothing and interior details. The simplified treatment gives the work a distinctly mid-century decorative feel and makes it particularly easy to place within both traditional and contemporary interiors.
The work bears a red signature reading “Bernard Dufour” to the lower right. However, due to known attribution issues surrounding decorative female-figure works carrying the Bernard Dufour name, we do not attribute this example to Bernard Dufour (1922–2016). The signature is recorded as part of the artwork, but the piece is offered and priced purely on its decorative merit.
Presented in a slim champagne-toned frame with a neutral fabric-effect inner border, the restrained framing works particularly well with the cream, black and coral palette.
A distinctive vintage artwork with an understated, almost fashion-illustration quality — particularly suited to a bedroom, dressing room, hallway or collected gallery wall.
Item: Vintage figurative artwork
Descriptive title: Two Women
Artist: Unidentified
Signature: Bears “Bernard Dufour” signature; attribution unconfirmed
Medium: Mixed media on textured prepared board
Period: Mid-to-late 20th century
Subject: Two women dressing / seated female figures
Framed measurements: 51.5cm high x 44cm wide
Orientation: Portrait
Frame: Champagne-toned frame with neutral textured inner
We aim to describe and photograph all items as accurately as possible. As many of our pieces are antique, vintage, or pre-owned, they may show signs of age, previous use, marks, repairs, and other age-related characteristics.
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Collection is available from Holytown Antiques for items marked Collection Only or where collection is otherwise agreed.
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Availability & Reservations
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Booking a Viewing/Collection
Reserve with a Deposit
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Booking a Viewing/Collection
One-Off Stock
- Due to the nature of antique and vintage stock, once an item has been sold we may not be able to source another identical example.
