Well, to keep the record straight: you were the second or third or fourth to
suggest Acacia dealbata, but as has been pointed out several times the
leaves are wrong.

Apparently there are species with "leaves" which fit better, such as the
suggested
(http://www.floracyberia.net/spermato...ledoneae/mimos
aceae/acacia_retinoides.html), but it is not a good fit.

The most likely explanation is that the flowers in the picture are indeed
Acacia dealbata and the foliage is something else, but there is no
reality-check. The flowers are long gone (no DNA-sampling is possible). A
catalogue is not necessarily the answer, given the level of errors commonly
found in catalogues when it comes to such matters.

Getting an approximate date for the painting and comparing this to the
cultivation history of Acacia dealbata and other Acacia species in France
might help considerably.
PvR

+ + +
David Hill schreef
I did send before saying Mimosa,
You say the painting is French........well for many years the French sent
"Mimosa" to the UK as a cut flower from around February.
The plant in question is Acacia dealbata "Silver Wattle" see
http://www.anbg.gov.au/images/photo_...lbata_069.html