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

Oil on canvas. In excellent condition.

A rich portrait believed to depict Mademoiselle de Blois, seated and wearing a red dress. On her lap sits 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 leading bourgeois and aristocratic families of her time. There is another version of this painting by the same artist (sold at Christie’s in 2009) that is significantly less detailed.

This is the only known portrait by Marianne Loir featuring a dog; she most likely painted this portrait of the king’s legitimized daughter 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 attire and the aesthetic choices regarding the inclusion 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, housed at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux. This portrait is more realistic than Jean-Marc Nattier’s. The drapery falls more simply. The Marquise’s face appears more spontaneous, much like our subject.

Marianne Loir’s works can be found all over the world, including at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Bowes Museum, and the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec.