Jean-Baptiste Perroneau, Portrait of Lady Perroneau, 1760, Oil on Canvas, Framed

Details

Description

Jean-Baptiste Perroneau
(Paris, 1715 – Amsterdam, 1783)

Portrait of a Lady

Oil on oval canvas
60 x 50 cm. - … Read more Jean-Baptiste Perroneau
(Paris, 1715 – Amsterdam, 1783)

Portrait of a Lady

Oil on oval canvas
60 x 50 cm. - Framed 77 x 66 cm.

Work accompanied by expert opinion: Raffaelle Colace (Cremona), Ferdinando Arisi

Reference literature: d’Arnoult, Dominique (2014) Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, c. 1715-1783, a portraitist in the Europe of the Enlightenment

Excerpt from Dr. Colace's expert opinion:

This refined portrait of a lady is a perfect example of the style of Jean-Baptiste Perroneau, a highly talented French painter, whose finest works, like this one, date from the 1750s and 1760s.

"Perroneau is more naturally colored than La Tour, the est, in the peinture de poussière colorée, tout plein de tons clairs, frais, presque humides": this is what the brothers Edmond and Jules de Goncourt wrote about him in La Maison d'un Artiste (1880), who recognized in Perroneau's art points of contact with Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) and generally with English portraiture of the second half of the eighteenth century (see D. Wakefield, French, Eighteenth-Century painting, London 1984, pp. 79-80).

Compared to the grandiloquent character presentation and technical virtuosity of his French counterparts, Perroneau's portraits are distinguished by a certain sobriety and a less artificial pictorial style, as can be seen in the magnificent Portrait of Daniel Jousse, now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans (Fig. 1), or in that of Madame Chevotet (Fig. 2), from 1751, also in Orléans, executed in pastel—a technique the painter favored from the mid-century onward (both illustrated in French Painting, edited by Pierre Rosenberg, Milan 1999, II, p. 502, figs. 487, 488).

The vague note of melancholy visible on Madame Chevotet's face reflects the sentimental and wandering nature of the painter, who almost always endows his subjects with intelligence, sensitivity, and a certain remoteness in their expressions, as our lady's distant gaze also suggests.

Beyond the character portrayal, this beautiful portrait highlights the pictorial harmony of the soft colors and the clear light that caresses the rosy face and reflects on the pearl of the hair clip in the dark hair. Its frothy, evanescent rendering dilutes into the delicately shaded background, while fluid, loose brushstrokes delineate the wide neckline of the dress, centered by a white rose.

The colors are those of Perroneau's typical "muted" palette, typically featuring beige, brown, olive-green, blue, and white hues, applied with soft, interrupted brushstrokes against a neutral background. The result is a natural delicacy, far removed from the artificial brilliance and pictorial decisiveness of a Nattier.

The value and charm of the French artist's portraits lies precisely in their simple, unobtrusive nature. It is not surprising that, from the mid-eighteenth century onward, he devoted himself to the more discreet pastel technique, in keeping with his sensibilities.

In addition to the aforementioned portrait of Madame Chevotet, for example, the beautiful Portrait of a Young Girl with a Kitten (Fig. 3), from 1743, now held at the National Gallery in London, is also in pastel. Conserved at the Louvre is the famous Portrait of Madame de Sorquainville (Fig. 4), an oil painting dated 1749, which undoubtedly represents one of Perroneaut's greatest artistic achievements (illustrated in Wakefield 1984, op. cit., p. 70, fig. 82). We also mention the Portrait of Magdaleine Pinceloup de la Grange (Fig. 5), from 1747, now held at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

The painting is sold complete with a beautiful gilded wooden frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and an iconographic . 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