Louise Basbayon Du Maine, Portrait Of Monsieur Basbayon Du Maine, 1845

Label on back reading Monsieur Basbayon du Maine by.Louise Basbayon du Maine on June 18, 1845.

Louise BASBAYON DU MAINE
Louise Basbayon du Maine is listed as a painter. In 1827, she married Baron Armand Pinoteau, a lawyer, sous-préfet under Louis-Philippe and a member of the Parti de l'Ordre, which united the previously divided right-wing factions, Legitimists and Orleanists. She lived at Château des Brunies in the village of La Chapelle Gonaguet in Burgundy.

This drawing, dated June 14, 1845, was executed by Louise at the age of 34. It depicts Louis Basbayon du Maine, perhaps her father of whom she would offer a rejuvenated effigy. He was born in 1776 and died in 1849, held the position of royal prosecutor and lawyer admitted to the civil court of Périgueux. If it is not his father, the model could also be a cousin or family member.

This drawing borrows from the codes of Romanticism, emphasizing the expressiveness of the model, depicted head-on, her dense hairhair slicked back, a few unruly curls spreading over his temples. His gaze, fixed and concentrated, reinforces the charm emanating from his tranquil presence and noble, well-drawn features.