Marianne Loir (1705-1783) - Presumed Portrait Of Mademoiselle De Blois - Oil On Canvas

Relined oil painting. Excellent condition. Presumed rich portrait of Mademoiselle de Blois, seated and wearing a red dress. On her lap is her Phalène, a companion dog introduced to the court of Versailles by her father, King Louis XIV. Marianne Loir, a portrait painter from a family of artists, painted the great bourgeois and aristocratic families of her time. Another version of this painting by the same artist exists (sold at Christie's in 2009) which is considerably less detailed. The only known portrait by Marianne Loir in which a dog is depicted, she most likely painted this portrait of the legitimized daughter of the king and Madame de Montespan around 1740. After growing up at the court of Versailles, she married Philippe II d'Orléans in 1692, who later became Regent of France. Through this marriage, she first became Duchess of Chartres, then Duchess of Orléans. She had several children, contributing to the main branch of the House of Orléans. Marianne Loir's skill is evident in the precise brushstrokes, particularly in the rendering of the face. The details of the clothing and the aesthetic choices regarding the presence of the dog and the purse certainly make this painting the most refined version. Marianne Loir's most famous portrait is that of the Marquise du Châtelet, held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux. This portrait is more realistic than that of Jean-Marc Nattier. The draperies fall more simply. The Marquise's face is more spontaneous, reflecting our subject. Marianne Loir's works can be found throughout the world, including at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Bowes Museum, and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.