Jean-baptiste Perroneau (paris, 1715 – Amsterdam, 1783), Portrait Of A Lady
Artist: Jean-baptiste Perroneau (paris 1715 – Amsterdam 1783)
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 an expert report: Raffaelle Colace (Cremona), Ferdinando Arisi
Reference bibliography: d’Arnoult, Dominique (2014) Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, c. 1715–1783, a Portraitist in Enlightenment Europe
Excerpt from Dr. Colace’s expert report:
This refined portrait of a lady is a perfect example of the style of Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, a highly talented French painter whose finest works, like this one, date from the fifth to the sixth decade of the 18th century.
“Perronneau is a more natural colorist than La Tour; in his painting of colored dust, he is full of light, fresh, almost moist tones”: so write the brothers Edmond and Jules de Goncourt about him in *La Maison d’un Artiste* (1880), the brothers Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, who recognize in Perroneau’s art points of contact with Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) and, more 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 grandiloquence in the presentation of figures and the technical virtuosity of their French counterparts, Perroneau’s portraits are in fact distinguished by a certain restraint and a less artificial pictorial style, as can be seen in the magnificent Portrait of Daniel Jousse housed in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans (Fig. 1) or in that of Madame Chevoter (Fig. 2) from 1751, also in Orléans, executed in pastel—a technique the painter would favor from the middle of the century onward (both illustrated in *La Pittura francese*, edited by Pierre Rosenberg, Milan 1999, II, p. 502, figs. 487, 488).
The faint hint of melancholy visible on Madame Chevotet’s face reflects the painter’s sentimental and wandering nature, which almost always endows his subjects with intelligence, sensitivity, and a certain distant quality in their expression—as the distant gaze of our lady also reveals.
Beyond the rendering of character, it is worth noting, in this beautiful portrait, the pictorial harmony of the soft colors and the soft light that caresses her rosy face and falls upon the pearl of the hairpin set in her dark hair, which, in its frothy and evanescent rendering, blend into the delicately shaded background, while fluid, loose brushstrokes depict the dress’s wide neckline, with a white rose at its center.
The colors are those of Perroneau’s typical “subdued” palette, usually featuring shades of beige, brown, olive green, blues, and whites applied with soft, broken brushstrokes on a neutral background, resulting in a natural delicacy far removed from the artificial gloss and pictorial boldness of a Nattier.
It is precisely in this simple and unassuming character that the value and charm of the French artist’s portraits lie; it is no surprise that, from the mid-18th century onward, he devoted himself to the more discreet technique of pastel, which was in keeping with his sensibility.
In addition to the aforementioned portrait of Madame Chevotet, another pastel example is the beautiful *Portrait of a Young Girl with a Kitten* (Fig. 3), from 1743, housed at the National Gallery in London. The Louvre, on the other hand, houses the famous *Portrait of Madame de Sorquainville* (Fig. 4), an oil painting dated 1749, which certainly constitutes one of the greatest achievements of Perronnaud’s art (ill. in Wakefield 1984, op. cit., p. 70, fig. 82). We can also mention the portrait of Magdaleine Pinceloup de la Grange (Fig. 5), from 1747, now housed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
The painting is sold complete with a lovely gilded wooden frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.
We handle and arrange the shipment of purchased works, both within Italy and internationally, through professional, insured carriers.
If you would like to view this or other works in person, we would be delighted to welcome you to our new gallery in Riva del Garda, located at Viale Giuseppe Canella 18. We look forward to seeing you!
Please contact us for any information or to arrange a visit; we’ll be happy to assist you.
Follow us on:
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it
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(Paris, 1715 – Amsterdam, 1783)
Portrait of a Lady
Oil on oval canvas
60 x 50 cm. - Framed: 77 x 66 cm.
Work accompanied by an expert report: Raffaelle Colace (Cremona), Ferdinando Arisi
Reference bibliography: d’Arnoult, Dominique (2014) Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, c. 1715–1783, a Portraitist in Enlightenment Europe
Excerpt from Dr. Colace’s expert report:
This refined portrait of a lady is a perfect example of the style of Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, a highly talented French painter whose finest works, like this one, date from the fifth to the sixth decade of the 18th century.
“Perronneau is a more natural colorist than La Tour; in his painting of colored dust, he is full of light, fresh, almost moist tones”: so write the brothers Edmond and Jules de Goncourt about him in *La Maison d’un Artiste* (1880), the brothers Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, who recognize in Perroneau’s art points of contact with Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) and, more 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 grandiloquence in the presentation of figures and the technical virtuosity of their French counterparts, Perroneau’s portraits are in fact distinguished by a certain restraint and a less artificial pictorial style, as can be seen in the magnificent Portrait of Daniel Jousse housed in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans (Fig. 1) or in that of Madame Chevoter (Fig. 2) from 1751, also in Orléans, executed in pastel—a technique the painter would favor from the middle of the century onward (both illustrated in *La Pittura francese*, edited by Pierre Rosenberg, Milan 1999, II, p. 502, figs. 487, 488).
The faint hint of melancholy visible on Madame Chevotet’s face reflects the painter’s sentimental and wandering nature, which almost always endows his subjects with intelligence, sensitivity, and a certain distant quality in their expression—as the distant gaze of our lady also reveals.
Beyond the rendering of character, it is worth noting, in this beautiful portrait, the pictorial harmony of the soft colors and the soft light that caresses her rosy face and falls upon the pearl of the hairpin set in her dark hair, which, in its frothy and evanescent rendering, blend into the delicately shaded background, while fluid, loose brushstrokes depict the dress’s wide neckline, with a white rose at its center.
The colors are those of Perroneau’s typical “subdued” palette, usually featuring shades of beige, brown, olive green, blues, and whites applied with soft, broken brushstrokes on a neutral background, resulting in a natural delicacy far removed from the artificial gloss and pictorial boldness of a Nattier.
It is precisely in this simple and unassuming character that the value and charm of the French artist’s portraits lie; it is no surprise that, from the mid-18th century onward, he devoted himself to the more discreet technique of pastel, which was in keeping with his sensibility.
In addition to the aforementioned portrait of Madame Chevotet, another pastel example is the beautiful *Portrait of a Young Girl with a Kitten* (Fig. 3), from 1743, housed at the National Gallery in London. The Louvre, on the other hand, houses the famous *Portrait of Madame de Sorquainville* (Fig. 4), an oil painting dated 1749, which certainly constitutes one of the greatest achievements of Perronnaud’s art (ill. in Wakefield 1984, op. cit., p. 70, fig. 82). We can also mention the portrait of Magdaleine Pinceloup de la Grange (Fig. 5), from 1747, now housed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
The painting is sold complete with a lovely gilded wooden frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet.
We handle and arrange the shipment of purchased works, both within Italy and internationally, through professional, insured carriers.
If you would like to view this or other works in person, we would be delighted to welcome you to our new gallery in Riva del Garda, located at Viale Giuseppe Canella 18. We look forward to seeing you!
Please contact us for any information or to arrange a visit; we’ll be happy to assist you.
Follow us on:
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/
9 500 €
Period: 18th century
Style: Louis 15th - Transition
Condition: Excellent condition
Material: Oil painting
Width: encadré 77 cm.
Height: encadré 66 cm.
Reference (ID): 1816644
Availability: In stock
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