Nicolas de Largillière (1656-1746) - Portrait of a Lady, circa 1695

Nicolas de Largillière (Paris, 1656-1746)
Portrait of a lady, circa 1695
Oil on canvas (relined): 76 x 61 cm
Framed: h. 97 cm, l. 82 cm
To be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the artist by Dominique Brême, director of museum of Sceaux and artist specialist.

Our work presents a majestic French aristocrat against the backdrop of a twilight landscape.
The face seen from the front, the body turned three-quarters, the young woman is portrayed half-length, revealing her slim belted waist.
The elongated face with rosy cheeks, almond-shaped eyes, straight nose and strong chin, solemn expression, the young woman sketches in a half-smile which brings out the dimple on her chin. Its white, milky complexions are worked in glaze and display a transparency and an almost tangible velvety.
Hair styled "a la Fontange", her powdered hair is raised and tied with a pink ribbon, the two curls frame the forehead and the mass of curly locks fall on her back and shoulders. A jewel is housed in her high bun.
She is dressed in a silver and shimmering silk dress over a white shirt whose lace is revealed at the level of the bodice.
A loose coat of pink satin with orange tones envelops her figure animated by angular folds of the crumpled fabric.
The fiery sparkles of the pink fabric clash with the frosty reflections of the silver satin. By juxtaposing the opposing colours, the painter accentuates the contrast. The fiery reflection of pink is reflected in the corset like fire in a mirror. This breathtaking effect bears witness to the great ingenuity of Nicolas de Largillière, this daring handling of the palette in the wake of Antoine Van Dyck.
This extremely intense chromatic range contrasts with the sober background of the classic landscape with a darkened sky.
The almost electric light of the theatrical staging accentuates the whiteness of skin tones and the brilliance of fabrics.
The virtuosity of the painter shines in the treatment of fabrics, the effects of scintillation, the spontaneity in the rendering of the texture because the care given to the clothes is as important in the art of the portrait as the model itself.
The young unknown not only gives us the image of a fresh and desirable young woman in full bloom of youth and beauty.
Accentuated by a tight framing, the presence of our model gains in intensity.
Our portrait, the reflection of an elegant and refined society, is seductive by its striking effect, associating the prodigious talent of the painter with the grace and natural beauty of the model.
In the absence of any distinctive sign on our painting, the identity of our noble lady remains unknown.
Our portrait will be included in the catalog raisonné of the work of Nicolas de Largillierre, currently being prepared by Mr. Dominique Brême, director of the museum of the Domaine départemental de Sceaux and specialist in the artist.

Nicolas de Largillière (Paris, 1656-1746)
Nicolas de Largilliere, born October 2, 1656 in Paris, where he died March 20, 1746, is a French painter. Of Flemish origin although born in Paris, he spent his childhood in Antwerp apprenticed to the landscape painter Antoine Goubau. In 1673 he went to England where he worked as an assistant in the studio of the portrait painter Peter Lely for several years. Largillierre discovers the art of portraiture in London and assimilates the beautiful lessons of the British successor of Antoine van Dyck. On his return to France, he was admitted to the Royal Academy in 1683 and three years later was received as a "painter of portraits and history" on presentation of the Portrait of Charles Le Brun.
He is one of the most famous portrait painters of the 17th and 18th centuries. Nicolas de Largillière's long career spanned the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XV, during which he established himself as a leading portrait painter. His female effigies, in particular, strike by their introspective character and their decorative richness.