Self-portrait of the painter Jacques de Lajoüe around 1737

Very beautiful oil on panel representing a self-portrait of the painter Jacques de Lajoüe.
He is depicted half-bust, richly dressed in a red velvet jacket and a silk shirt embroidered with silver.
He holds his brushes and his palette of colors in his left hand.
Her pose, her powdered headdress and her rosy face exude the good nature of the gentlemen of the Enlightenment.

Very good state of conservation.

The panel used is a re-use from a woodwork with a Martin varnish singing decoration, attributable to Christophe Huet.

There is an old ink inscription on the reverse: "Joseph Vernet painted by Vanlou his friend".

French work attributable to Jacques de Lajoüe * around 1737.

Dimensions:

Frame: Height: 45 cm; Width: 34.5 cm
Panel: Height: 33 cm; Width: 25.5 cm

Related work:

-Musée du Louvre (Inv 5574):
Portrait of the painter Jacque de Lajoüe and his family, his wife born Mariane Derlin (died after 1763) and their son Jacques-Gabriel (1730-1810), future prosecutor at Châtelet.

Our opinion :

Although an old inscription indicates that this portrait represents the painter Joseph Vernet painted by Van Loo, it is in fact a self-portrait of Jacques de Lajoüe.
This iconography can be found on the portrait of his family, presented at the Salon of 1737 and now kept in the Louvre.
Our work is probably a preparatory work for this composition.
Our hypothesis is all the more reinforced by the fact that our study is painted on the back of a wood paneling.
Jacques de Lajoüe being a decorator, he was in charge of several projects and therefore had access to the deposit of old decorations.

* Jacques de Lajoüe (born in Paris in 1686 (or 1687) where he died April 12, 1761) is a French painter.
Married to Marie Derlin, he is the father of Jacques Gabriel, born June 5, 1730, only son, future prosecutor at Châtelet.
The painter, his wife and his son are represented in the work The Artist's Family, visible in the Louvre.
Specializing in paintings of ornaments and architectural subjects, influenced by Boucher, he was one of the most typical rococo painters of the 18th century. He became a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1721. He was also a skilled decorator and designer-architect.
In particular, in 1740 he published a collection of engravings with decorative rockery motifs, Landscapes and Perspectives.