Portrait Of Duchess Of Berry As Venus - Pierre Gobert (1662-1744), Circa 1715-1720
Artist: Pierre Gobert (1662-1744)
Pierre Gobert (Fontainebleau, 1662 – Paris, 1744)
Portrait of Marie-Louise-Élisabeth d’Orléans, Duchess of Berry, as Venus, circa 1715–1720
Oil on canvas, H. 141 cm; W. 109 cm
18th century important carved and gilded wooden frame, re-gilded
Dimensions with frame: H. 175 cm; W. 142 cm
Provenance:
- Drouot Auction, Paris, May 13, 1907;
- Acquired by Eugène Bretel (Normandy industrialist), part of the Château de Chiffrevast (La Manche) collection until 2006;
- Former collection of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, Hôtel Lambert, Paris
Click here to see the artwork on our website: https://www.galerienicolaslente.com/fr/portrait-de-la-duchesse-de-berry-en-venus-pierre-gobert-1662-1744-vers-1715-1720.htm
A large and imposing historical portrait of the young princess depicted as Venus, seated with her legs partially extended in a monumental gilded wooden chariot. A nude Cupid stands beside her, partially covered by a deep green drape fastened to his arm; he raises a flaming torch, a symbol of the goddess’s power to set hearts ablaze. The young woman elegantly tips a small vial with her right hand, while her left arm rests on the child’s shoulder. She wears a white satin dress embroidered with silver thread and lined with blue satin; its wide, rounded neckline reveals her shoulders and highlights the milky whiteness of her throat. A loose-fitting pink cloak envelops her and cascades down her right side in a stream of heavy, luminous drapery.
The refined interplay of silvery whites, deep blues, vibrant pinks, and dark green reveals Gobert’s mastery in rendering fabrics and organizing a sumptuous color scheme.
The face—oval and full, with a very fair and delicately rosy complexion—stands out against a warm brown background set against a twilight sky. The large blue-gray eyes, round cheeks, slender mouth, and full chin give the subject a particularly distinctive presence. Her powder-white blonde hair, styled high in the Regency fashion, adds to the radiance of this fresh, generous, blonde figure.
These features allow us to identify the young woman as Marie-Louise-Élisabeth d’Orléans (1695–1719), the eldest daughter of Philippe II d’Orléans, the Regent, and Duchess of Berry since her marriage to Charles of France, Duke of Berry, in 1710. A comparison with the portrait of the princess painted by Gobert around 1715 for Elector Max Emanuel of Bavaria’s “gallery of beauties” at Nymphenburg Palace is particularly revealing: the same blonde hair, the same blue eyes, the same full, rosy cheeks, the same broad face with soft features, as well as the same full, rounded presence are found in both portraits.
The attribution to Gobert and the proposed identification are further supported by the portrait of Charlotte-Aglaé d’Orléans, future Duchess of Modena and sister of the Duchess of Berry, held at the Kassel Museum, inv. SM 1.1.848. For this other daughter of the Regent, Gobert adopts an almost identical composition: a princess in a light-colored dress and pink cloak, positioned beside a gilded chariot, accompanied by a nude Cupid wrapped in green drapery and holding a torch. Our painting expands on this same composition in a more monumental version: the Duchess of Berry appears here fully in the guise of Venus, sovereign of Love, seated in her gilded chariot.
Pierre Gobert was one of the great court portraitists of the late reign of Louis XIV and the Regency. Connected to the major French princely circles and active in the service of the House of Orléans, he excelled in these portraits, in which his keen observation of the subject is combined with the splendor of silks, embroidery, large colorful cloaks, and a gallant allegory. The exceptional size of this canvas, the richness of the composition, and Venus’s triumphant imagery fully reflect the status of a daughter of the Regent and legitimized granddaughter of Louis XIV.
Related works:
- Pierre Gobert (1662–1744), Portrait of Marie-Louise-Élisabeth d’Orléans, Duchess of Berry, c. 1715, oil on canvas, 140 × 105 cm, Nymphenburg Palace, Munich, Great Gallery of Beauties of Elector Max Emanuel of Bavaria;
- Pierre Gobert (1662–1744), Portrait of Charlotte-Aglaé d’Orléans, Duchess of Modena, c. 1721, oil on canvas, 141 × 110 cm, Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Wilhelmshöhe Palace, Kassel, inv. SM 1.1.848.
Portrait of Marie-Louise-Élisabeth d’Orléans, Duchess of Berry, as Venus, circa 1715–1720
Oil on canvas, H. 141 cm; W. 109 cm
18th century important carved and gilded wooden frame, re-gilded
Dimensions with frame: H. 175 cm; W. 142 cm
Provenance:
- Drouot Auction, Paris, May 13, 1907;
- Acquired by Eugène Bretel (Normandy industrialist), part of the Château de Chiffrevast (La Manche) collection until 2006;
- Former collection of His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, Hôtel Lambert, Paris
Click here to see the artwork on our website: https://www.galerienicolaslente.com/fr/portrait-de-la-duchesse-de-berry-en-venus-pierre-gobert-1662-1744-vers-1715-1720.htm
A large and imposing historical portrait of the young princess depicted as Venus, seated with her legs partially extended in a monumental gilded wooden chariot. A nude Cupid stands beside her, partially covered by a deep green drape fastened to his arm; he raises a flaming torch, a symbol of the goddess’s power to set hearts ablaze. The young woman elegantly tips a small vial with her right hand, while her left arm rests on the child’s shoulder. She wears a white satin dress embroidered with silver thread and lined with blue satin; its wide, rounded neckline reveals her shoulders and highlights the milky whiteness of her throat. A loose-fitting pink cloak envelops her and cascades down her right side in a stream of heavy, luminous drapery.
The refined interplay of silvery whites, deep blues, vibrant pinks, and dark green reveals Gobert’s mastery in rendering fabrics and organizing a sumptuous color scheme.
The face—oval and full, with a very fair and delicately rosy complexion—stands out against a warm brown background set against a twilight sky. The large blue-gray eyes, round cheeks, slender mouth, and full chin give the subject a particularly distinctive presence. Her powder-white blonde hair, styled high in the Regency fashion, adds to the radiance of this fresh, generous, blonde figure.
These features allow us to identify the young woman as Marie-Louise-Élisabeth d’Orléans (1695–1719), the eldest daughter of Philippe II d’Orléans, the Regent, and Duchess of Berry since her marriage to Charles of France, Duke of Berry, in 1710. A comparison with the portrait of the princess painted by Gobert around 1715 for Elector Max Emanuel of Bavaria’s “gallery of beauties” at Nymphenburg Palace is particularly revealing: the same blonde hair, the same blue eyes, the same full, rosy cheeks, the same broad face with soft features, as well as the same full, rounded presence are found in both portraits.
The attribution to Gobert and the proposed identification are further supported by the portrait of Charlotte-Aglaé d’Orléans, future Duchess of Modena and sister of the Duchess of Berry, held at the Kassel Museum, inv. SM 1.1.848. For this other daughter of the Regent, Gobert adopts an almost identical composition: a princess in a light-colored dress and pink cloak, positioned beside a gilded chariot, accompanied by a nude Cupid wrapped in green drapery and holding a torch. Our painting expands on this same composition in a more monumental version: the Duchess of Berry appears here fully in the guise of Venus, sovereign of Love, seated in her gilded chariot.
Pierre Gobert was one of the great court portraitists of the late reign of Louis XIV and the Regency. Connected to the major French princely circles and active in the service of the House of Orléans, he excelled in these portraits, in which his keen observation of the subject is combined with the splendor of silks, embroidery, large colorful cloaks, and a gallant allegory. The exceptional size of this canvas, the richness of the composition, and Venus’s triumphant imagery fully reflect the status of a daughter of the Regent and legitimized granddaughter of Louis XIV.
Related works:
- Pierre Gobert (1662–1744), Portrait of Marie-Louise-Élisabeth d’Orléans, Duchess of Berry, c. 1715, oil on canvas, 140 × 105 cm, Nymphenburg Palace, Munich, Great Gallery of Beauties of Elector Max Emanuel of Bavaria;
- Pierre Gobert (1662–1744), Portrait of Charlotte-Aglaé d’Orléans, Duchess of Modena, c. 1721, oil on canvas, 141 × 110 cm, Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel, Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Wilhelmshöhe Palace, Kassel, inv. SM 1.1.848.
21 000 €
Period: 18th century
Style: Louis 14th, Regency
Condition: Excellent condition
Material: Oil painting
Width: 142 cm encadré)
Height: 175 cm (encadré)
Reference (ID): 1834154
Availability: In stock
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