Offered by Galerie Nicolas Lenté
16th to 18th century furniture, paintings and works of art
Henri Millot, French painter (Paris, active between 1699 and 1756)
Presumed portrait of Louise Dorothée von Hoffman
Signed “h. millot” and dated 1724 on the back of the original canvas
Oil on canvas: h. 82 cm, w. 65cm
18th century period frame in gilded and carved wood
Framed dimensions: h. 105 cm, w. 85cm
Presumed portrait of Louise Dorothée von Hoffman
The portrait that we present is signed and dated by Henri Millot, French painter, one of the most brilliant pupils of Nicolas de Largillière.
Given the location of Henri Millot in 1724 and strong resemblances, the identity of the young woman seems to us to be obviously that of Louise Dorothée von Hoffman, wife of Duke Gustave-Samuel-Léopold de Palatinat-Deux-Ponts .
The young aristocrat is portrayed at mid-height, her body turned three-quarters. The high carriage of his head gives him a slightly haughty air, softened by the benevolent gaze of his wide gray eyes and a pleasant half-smile.
Her powdered hair is curled and raised in a bun clearing the forehead and slightly covering the ears. This "sheep's head" hairstyle was typical of the 1720s to the 1750s and replaced the "à la Fontange" hairstyle. A few blue daisies are stuck in her hair.
The young woman is dressed in a blue velvet dress embroidered with gold threads at the neckline, sleeves and waist. Gemstone clasps adorn her neckline, sleeves and waist. A pink satin coat pinned to her dress by a jeweled clasp covers her shoulders and falls in wide, angular folds. The draperies enhanced with glazes and impastos are available in several shades of purplish pink with iridescent effects going to warmer tones.
Far from blending the colors, Millot finds its harmony here by juxtaposing large chromatic ranges that exacerbate each other: the lapis lazuli blue of the velvet and the pearly pink of the coat.
The landscape in the background is formed by foliage and dominated by a blue sky with dark clouds.
Historical context
After his apprenticeship in the studio of Nicolas de Largillière, Henri Millot worked independently in Paris until around 1715, when he arrived in Strasbourg. He was documented at the Palatine court of Deux-Ponts around 1720. Duke Gustave-Samuel-Léopold de Palatinat-Deux-Ponts commissioned several portraits of him: the version in the Munich museum dated 1720 and another version dated 1725 without counting other portraits of the prince executed during this period (between 1720 and 1725).
The Duke remarried in 1723 to Louise Dorothée von Hoffmann (March 30, 1700 – April 14, 1745), daughter of Jean Henri von Hoffman and Anne Chocq. She also converted to Catholicism in 1723 and was ennobled by the Emperor on March 3, 1724 with the title of Countess von Hoffmann.
From 1723, the duke built the palace of Luisenthal for his wife.
In 1724 Henri Millot received the commission for the official full-length portrait of Louise Dorothée von Hoffmann (Alte Pinakothek Munich, inv. 4472)
It is very likely that following the official portrait one or two additional effigies of the new countess will be requested from Henri Millot the same year.
The visual rapprochement between two faces fully validates our hypothesis.
Henri Millot
Henri Millot is a French painter born in Paris and died in Paris in 1756. He worked mainly in Paris and in close collaboration with Nicolas de Largillière (1656-1746), he was his pupil before 1699, integrating the workshop in the years 1690, he adopted the full range of effects and techniques from his master.
He was a close friend of Marie-Claire Hermant, first cousin of Largillière and witnessed her marriage to Georges Roettiers on May 18, 1711.
He worked in the Duchy of Two Bridges, from 1721 to 1724, and then for other German princely courts. In 1730, he was in Strasbourg, but returned definitively to Paris at the end of his life where he exhibited 2 portraits at the Academy of Saint Luke in 1756.
