Pair Of 18th-century Portraits, The Lasalle Family, Oil On Copper—gilded Wooden Frames

An elegant pair of portraits depicting a man and a woman, painted in the late 18th century in oil on copper and presented in their original gilded oval wooden frames.

The man is depicted in a bust portrait, in a three-quarter view turned to the right. He wears a wig and military-style attire, consisting of a white jacket and a black collar. The woman is his counterpart, also depicted as a bust, in a three-quarter view facing left, wearing a fitted blue dress.

Both portraits have retained their original presentation and condition, complete with their gilded wooden oval frames.

A particularly interesting feature accompanies this set: handwritten inscriptions, added in the 19th century, appear on the back of each frame. They identify the subjects and are accompanied by short romantic poems composed in homage to each of them.

On the reverse of the male portrait, the following is inscribed:

“François de Paul, Antoine, Joseph, Gabriel de Lasalle, who died in St. Germain in 1838 at the age of 85 ”

This identification is followed by a poem:

“You will cherish the image of your father’s features;
They will remind you of his tenderness toward you;
May your gaze always be drawn to virtue;
For in a well-formed soul, this is the sweetest law.”

A second text also accompanies this inscription:

“ May you also bear a resemblance to [...] in your soul,
Use the colors of all virtues,
Combine the graces of the mind with the best of hearts,
To make his loved ones happy—that is his very existence. ”

On the reverse of the female portrait:

“ Thérèse, Victoire de Contenot, widow of Mr. de Lasalle, died in Nancy on June 14, 1843, at the age of 85 ”

The inscription is accompanied by the following poem:

“ Her beautiful features will serve as a model,
Every step of her life points to virtue,
In her soul, duty was never fought against,
Nor did she ever stray from the laws of reason. ”

These old annotations lend the pair a particularly appealing family and commemorative dimension, as the portraits were evidently preserved and passed down along with precise memories of the people depicted.

Dimensions of the portraits: 14.5 × 17.5 cm

A pair of portraits that is both decorative and historical, whose 19th-century annotations offer a particularly touching account of the family memories associated with the two portraits.

Price does not include shipping

Police Registry Ref.: A206

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