Portrait of a Noble Woman - Attributed to Marie-Victoire Lemoine

Attributed to Marie-Victoire Lemoine (Paris 1754 - 1820)

Oil on panel
Ca. 1775-1800
Dimensions: 63 x 52 cm

THE ARTWORK
A woman of noble descent looks at us with a small smile. Her outfit has been carefully chosen. There are lace details and her headdress is carefully placed on her perfectly styled hair. Her clothing contrasts with the dark background, making her stand out from the canvas. A bunch of flowers are bundled on her chest next to a big white ribbon. Her pink cheeks and lips are in stark contrast to her pale skin. Each color is carefully applied as if airbrushed.

The work contains all the characteristics of the classicists. The use of pastel colors and soft brush strokes make the portrait look dreamy. It is precisely an idealized image of women.
The flowers on her dress are daffodils. These can refer to vanity and selfishness.

The work has been attributed to Marie-Victoire Lemoine due to several similarities with other portraits. The use of contrasts with background and person is typical of her style. She also often uses flowers in her portraits. These can be applied to the dress or in the hair.

THE ARTIST
There were 3 of the Lemoine sisters. Marie-Victoire, the eldest, born in 1754. Marie-Elisabeth, born in 1755 and Marie-Denise, born in 1774. All born in Paris. They were classicist painters and mainly painted portraits of women. They were also not unprecedented at the Paris salons. Their style is similar, but each has their own point of recognition.
Marie-Victoire Lemoine seems to be the painter here. Her style consists of portraits often with a dark background. She was familiar with genre art, portrait and miniature art. She remained unmarried and is the sister-in-law of Marie-Elisabeth Chaudet. She lived with the art dealer Jean-Baptise-Pierre Lebrun, next to the studio of Elisabeth-Louise Vigee-Lebrun, Paris's leading Woman painter. She was also a student of hers and of Francois-Guillaume Menageot. Her paintings are sentimentally charged. They often glorified motherhood, which was popular in the 18th century.