French School, 18th Century, Portrait Of A Lady Of Quality, Nicolas-guy Brenet

Large Portrait of a Lady of Quality
Oil on canvas 80 x 64 cm
unframed Antique giltwood frame

This very fine 18th-century portrait, attributed to Nicolas-Guy Brenet (1728-1792), depicts a young lady of quality dressed in a magnificent pink muslin gown over a sheer white tulle bodice that reveals her arms. She holds a basket of roses; in her hands, one rose appears to be intended for someone. With a pensive gaze, a slight smile, and an elegant bearing, this portrait reminds us of the influence of Rousseau's writings on the arts in the 18th century.

Nicolas-Guy Brenet (1728-1792) was a student of Boucher, traveled to Rome in 1756, and was admitted to the Academy of Painting in 1769. He exhibited at the Paris Salon from 1763 to 1787, always with success. He excelled in religious, historical, and mythological paintings, as well as full-length portraits. Museums: Nantes, Grenoble, Reims...The Louvre