Giovanni BONI ***, 19th century French school Portrait of a Zouave in front of the city of Nice Canvas mounted on plywood Signed lower left "Boni Gio". 64 x 53 cm (missing parts and old restorations) The Zouave uniform, designed by Commandant Duvier, was inspired by traditional Algerian male dress. It consists of a red felt cap called a "chéchia", a bolero called a "bedaïa" and a "sarouel", loose-fitting pants pulled tight at the ankles. A blue belt, 40 centimeters wide and 4 meters long, wraps around the belly. Here, the Zouave wears the uniform of the Colonial Infantry Corps, worn between 1830 and 1962. He is decorated with three round medals on his left breast: a military medal from Napoleon III's Second Empire and a medal commemorating the Italian campaign (1859).