Louise-Joséphine SARAZIN de BELMONT (Versailles, 1790 - Paris, 1870) Florence. A mother asking for charity from the monks of San Miniato, 1839 Original canvas Monogrammed, localized and dated lower right: "Jine S. de B. / Florence 1839". 30 x 49,5 cm Trained in the workshop of Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes, Louise-Joséphine made her first trip to Italy between 1824 and 1826, from Lazio to Sicily, bringing back numerous pochades and sketches, as well as a second one between 1839 and 1841. In the notice accompanying the catalog of the "sale of 120 studies painted from life by Mademoiselle Sarazin de Belmont", organized on February 25 and 26, 1839, it is said that the artist: "at the time of undertaking a new trip to Italy, is determined to get rid of all the studies, without exception" (Paris, Hôtel des Ventes de la place de la Bourse n° 2, grande salle des objets d'art, February 25 and 26, 1839). This suggests that at this date our artist was not familiar with Florence, since no study refers to Tuscany. It is most probably on the occasion of her second trip that the young woman painted our painting dated 1839.