18th Century, French Portrait, Jean-Baptiste Soyer

Details

Description

A beautiful oil painting on canvas in an oval shape.
it depicts a young noblewoman portrayed three-quarter-length with her little … Read more A beautiful oil painting on canvas in an oval shape.
it depicts a young noblewoman portrayed three-quarter-length with her little dog in her arms.
seated in a gilded armchair, she is draped in a background that reveals a classical column, while she flaunts her jewellery with rare elegance and self-assurance.
this important painting can be attributed to a great french painter of the second half of the 18th century, jean-baptiste soyer.
an artist who was little studied due to his modesty, he came to the fore and was recognised in all his greatness, thanks to an exhibition held in 2021 at the hôtel abbatial
of lunéville in the east of france near nancy.
thanks to this exhibition, from which our notes are taken, light was thrown on this great artist, until then known mainly as a miniaturist.

this artwork, never before on the market, comes from an important french private collection and is beautified by an impressive antique frame in gilded wood, in good condition.
the painting is also protected by glass

“jean-baptiste soyer was born in lorraine during the reign of louis xv and trained under the greatest lorraine painters, exercising his talent mainly in his homeland.
he married during the revolution and his five children were born in nancy between 1791 and 1799.
the evolution of his career and that of his son hubert, a renowned scientist, shows the development of the arts and sciences from the ancien régime to the dawn of the second empire.
the rich period of the first empire was when jean-baptiste was at the height of his career and his son hubert was beginning his studies and preparing for a brilliant future.
from the last quarter of the 18th century, paris, the capital of the arts, discovered with wonder the works of a whole generation of young painters: françois dumont, jean-baptiste jacques augustin, jean-baptiste isabey, daniel saint, paul gomien, nicolas jacques, marie-marguerite jaser, jean-baptiste singry, andré-léon larue dit mansion, frédéric millet, rosalie drouot.
of all these artists, born between 1751 and 1791, only f. Millet, d. Saint, p.e dagoty and l. Sené were not originally from lorraine.
jean-baptiste soyer produced a large amount of work, but he must have had a very modest and reserved personality, as he hardly ever signed his works.
today, many of his paintings and miniatures feature prominently in the most prestigious collections but with inaccurate attributions
this exhibition and the monograph dedicated to him intend to rectify this mistake and give recognition to this artist's talent.
a careful examination of his works, particularly those that remain in the family, where the attribution is certain, highlights a number of distinctive features.
the first distinguishing feature of this artist is the very characteristic and always smiling expression he gives his works.
the accentuated shape of the mouths, with strongly rimmed lips and raised corners, is quite typical.
the second is the glossy rendering of the materials.
of course each artist has his own particular technique for rendering the shine of a fabric, but jean-baptiste soyer had his own, which he mastered perfectly and used in all his portraits brilliantly and almost systematically: each fold is emphasised by a lighter line, which accompanies the slightest movement of the fabric with precision.”

dimensions are frame included
this piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



issues arising from misattribution See less