Portrait Of Louise Gendrault By Jean Ducayer Circa 1620

Portrait of Louise Gendrault represented as Diana.
Oil on octagonal oak panel in very good condition, one crack (repaired).
France first third of the 17th century.
She wears precious jewelry including a crescent moon brooch in her hair and a pearl and diamond necklace, the color black being used to represent the diamond until the 18th century.
The title "lady" means that she is descended from the high nobility. She owns several lands including that of La Massardière, if we are to believe the old inscription on the back of the painting. Her husband was adviser and secretary to the king, he was probably a magistrate and administered justice at the court of Poitiers in the name of King Louis XIII.

This type of portrait is generally attributed to Jacques Ducayer, a painter active at the beginning of the 17th century and who painted the high nobility of his time.

On the back we can read this interesting old inscription: "Portrait of Louise Gendrault wife of Pierre Tricaud adviser and secretary to the King, in the election of Poitiers, lady of Massardière, Saint Germain and Clanay, fourth grandmother of Jacques Delavau de Treffort de la Massardière, squire. She bought the land of Massardière in 1631”.

We will compare this portrait to the one sold at Christie's in 2012 for the sum of €6,250 and which is certainly by the same hand wrongly attributed to Charles Beaubrun (see photo), as well as other portraits where we will easily recognize the same painter (photos).

ZIZE OF THE PANEL 18,5x25 CM