After Pierre Mignard / Le Romain, Portrait of Louise Renée de Keroualle as Magdalene, 1690, Oil on Canvas, Framed

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Description

Portrait of louise renée de penancoët de keroualle, duchess of portsmouth and aubigny (brest 1649 - paris 1734) as magdalene
… Read more Portrait of louise renée de penancoët de keroualle, duchess of portsmouth and aubigny (brest 1649 - paris 1734) as magdalene
pierre mignard, known as le romain (troyes 1612 - paris 1695), attributed

oil on canvas (97 x 88 cm - in an important gilded frame 132 x 122 cm)
provenance: private collection, naples

the young and attractive noblewoman depicted in this painting is louis renée de penancoët de keroualle, duchess of portsmouth and aubigny (brest 1649 - paris 1734), known for being the favorite mistress of king charles ii for over fifteen years, from whose relationship he fathered charles lennox, 1st duke of richmond, but above all for she went down in history as one of louis xiv's french informants at the english court.

the duchess was a highly influential figure at court, promoting french interests and often acting as an intermediary between the king, his ministers, and french ambassadors.

after the death of charles ii, this influence quickly waned, forcing her to hastily leave london and renounce all her possessions to return to her homeland, between aubigny-sur-nère and paris, where she died in 1734, always remaining in the king's good graces.

the peculiarity of the portrait, probably painted after her return to her homeland, is that the noblewoman takes on the features of a captivating mary magdalene, depicted here after she has renounced earthly goods, her rich robes, and her jewelry, to aspire to heavenly riches. We see her immortalized with her long hair loose over one breast, her intriguing yet serene gaze directed at the viewer, while she rests her crossed hands, as if in prayer, on the vial of scented ointments and the open book, both iconographic symbols.

the custom of being portrayed as magdalene was in vogue for powerful women in the great european courts since the 16th century, as it represented the most appropriate image to justify the union of power and feminine virtue. It must be said that court culture extolled only the positive traits of her personality, glossing over or downplaying all references to her sinful past and dissolute life.

the work, which in its style fits perfectly with 17th-century french portraiture, suggests a fitting attribution to the baroque painter pierre mignard (troyes, 1612 - paris, 1695), whose works were highly praised and earned him a great reputation as a portraitist for the demanding parisian aristocracy during the reign of louis xiv. He also painted the duchesse de kérouaille on numerous occasions.

his first significant artistic training took place in the studio of simon vouet, before moving to italy for over twenty years before returning to paris, blending his own style with the influence of roman classicism.
the elegant fluidity of touch and the sensual refinement typical of mignard, combined with a very accurate chiaroscuro rendering, inherited from his artistic training in rome (which drew inspiration from the examples of ferdinand voet), the exceptional softness of the drawing, the richness of the flesh tones and the almost enameled surfaces, and finally, the distinctive pose of the figure portrayed (the unmistakable beauty of the two intertwined hands), further support our attribution.

the painting is in excellent condition.

additional information:

the painting is completed by a beautiful gilded frame.

the work is sold with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet. 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



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