FRENCH SCHOOL, 19TH CENTURY | A trompe l'œil with a young nun peeking out through a shutter

Private collection, Belgium.

In this painting, the artist has used trompe-l'œil to make the nun appear as if she is peering out of a real shutter towards the viewer. This illusionistic technique gained real currency during the Renaissance, but continued to prove popular right up to the 19th century as demonstrated by the present example.