Offered by Franck Baptiste Paris
Large half-length portrait depicting the Duke of Penthièvre Louis-Jean-Marie de Bourbon (1725-1793)
Dressed in a breastplate, he wears the order of the golden fleece and the order of the Holy Spirit and holds in his right hand his flowered command stick.
In front of him rests his helmet surmounted by a dragon and his coat lined with ermines, symbol of his title of governor of Brittany.
In the background you can see two warships on a raging sea which symbolize his title of great admiral of France.
Very beautiful original frame in finely carved oak wood with pearl friezes and stripes of heart and gilt with gold leaf.
On the frame a small cartouche names the character "L.J. Marie de Bourbon Duc de Penthièvre 1725-1793, given by himself".
Work from the Louis XVI period around 1780 attributable to the Parisian painter Jean Baptiste Charpentier the Elder (1728-1806).
Provenance label: "Cte Gabriel des Courtils"
Our label probably refers to Count Gabriel des Courtils de Merlemont (1897-1973) owner of the chateau of Bouconvilliers in the Oise.
His forefathers were important soldiers in the French Navy, notably Jean Charles, captain of a frigate, killed in 1702 off the coast of Portugal, and his nephew Louis, lieutenant in the navy who died in 1747 at the Battle of Lawfeld.
The painting was probably given by the Duke to the family of Louis René who was named count by King Louis XVI and grand bailiff of the Beaujolais province.
Dimensions:
Frame: Height: 133 cm; Width: 106cm
Canvas: Height: 116 cm; Width: 89 cm
Our opinion :
The painting we are offering is a moving testimony to the generosity of the Duke of Penthièvre.
Great patron and biggest fortune of his time, the grandson of Louis XIV hired Jean Baptiste Charpentier as official painter from 1760.
The latter was responsible for carrying out the many official portraits of the prince, based on a standard model with a posture that will vary very little throughout the Duke's life.
The first version seems to be a portrait of Jean Marc Nattier made after the Battle of Fontenay in 1745.
These paintings were either intended to be hung in the various residences or buildings where the Duke was authoritative, or to be offered, as is the case for our canvas.
Our work is not an isolated case, other offered portraits are known, bust, full-length or half-length like our model:
Museum of Versailles, "donated by his serene highness / Monseigneur de Duc de Penthièvre" Inv No. MV55.
Museum of Sceaux
Vernon Museum
City Hall of Tréport
Crécy la Chapelle town hall
Museum of Fine Arts of Rennes
Museum of Fine Arts of Tours, for a portrait from the chateau of Amboise
Hospice de St Jacques des Andélys
Or in public sale with a very beautiful full-length portrait and a frame with the arms of France and the mention given by HSH the Duke of Penthièvre to the abbot of Clairvaux in 1787.
-Sale Christies paris May 3, 2016, lot 11 (63,900 euros).
Louis-Jean-Marie de Bourbon (1725-1793)
Only son of Louis Alexandre de Bourbon (1678-1737), count of Toulouse, and of the duchesse Marie Victoire de Noailles, Louis Jean Marie de Bourbon was named surviving admiral of France on December 1, 1734 and governor and lieutenant general of Brittany in survived December 31, 1736.
He inherited the civil and military offices from his father in December 1737, namely Admiral of France, governor of Brittany and Grand Veneur of France.
He married Marie Thérèse Félicité d'Este-Modène (1726-1754), daughter of Duke François III of Modène and of the duchess née Charlotte-Aglaé d'Orléans (1700-1761), herself daughter of the Regent.
The marriage took place in 1744 and was very happy. He gave birth to numerous posterity:
Louis Marie de Bourbon (born in 1746, died at a young age);
Louis Alexandre de Bourbon (1747-1768), prince of Lamballe, husband of Marie-Louise de Savoie-Carignan (1749-1792), the friend of Queen Marie-Antoinette;
Jean Marie de Bourbon (1748-1755), duke of Chateauvillain;
Vincent Marie Louis de Bourbon (1750-1752), count of Guingamp;
Marie Louise de Bourbon (1751-1753);
Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon (1753-1821), known as "Mademoiselle de Penthièvre", married to Philippe, duke of Orleans (1747-1793);
Louis Marie Félicité (born and died in 1754).
He was made camp marshal on July 2, 1743 then lieutenant general on May 2, 1744, knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece on January 27, 1740 then knight of the Order of the Holy Spirit on January 1, 1742.
Very affected by the death of his wife in 1754, by that of his only surviving son in 1768, by the assassination of his daughter-in-law, the Princess of Lamballe (1792) and by the death of the king voted by his son-in-law the duke of Orleans (1793), the duke of Penthièvre led a withdrawn life, melancholic, absorbed by devotion and charity.
Good and sweet, he died in his bed in his castle of Bizy, in Normandy in 1793, enjoying a certain popularity while the revolution was raging and that the first French Republic had just been proclaimed. His body was buried in Dreux (clandestinely) but the revolutionaries profaned the graves on November 29, 1793, 8 months after his death, and the bodies were thrown into a mass grave.
It was not until 1816 that the chapel of Orléans was rebuilt, where it was transferred. His main passion was his collection of watches, which he liked to adjust and repair himself.
The fortune of the Duke of Penthièvre
The Duke of Penthièvre collects the enormous land heritage of the children of the Duke of Maine, the Prince of Dombes (died in 1755) and the Count of Eu (died in 1775), including the castles of Sceaux, Anet, Aumale, Dreux, Gisors. According to the book "La fortune disparue du roi Louis-Philippe" by Jacques Bernot and Jean-Pierre Thomas, his annual income was estimated at 6 million pounds, or 17 million euros, which made him the one of the richest men in Europe.
