1730s Figurative Paintings

Pietro Paltronieri, known as il Mirandolese (Mirandola, 1673 - Bologna, 1741) - Architectural Capriccio with Arcades and a Waterfall. 98 x 134 cm (without frame) - 124 x 160 cm (wit...

Antique Italian painting from the first half of the 18th century. Oil on canvas artwork depicting an intense scene of mystical ecstasy of Saint Francis of Assisi. A large-scale paint...

Enoch Seeman - 1894 - 1744 Provenance: Christies King Street Canvas Size: 50 x 40" (127 x 102cm) Outside Frame Size: 58 x 48" (147 x 122cm) An excellent example of Seeman's work. ...

Jean-Marc Nattier (Paris, 1685 - 1766) and his workshop Portrait of Charlotte de Hesse-Rheinfels Oil on canvas : h. 44.09 in, w. 38.19 in 18th century carved giltwood framed Framed : h. 52.36 in, w. 47.63 in Charlotte de Hesse-Rheinfels (1714-1741), daughter of Landgrave Ernest-Léopold de Hesse-Rheinfels-Rotenburg and Éléonore de Lowenstein-Wertheim and Kazazyan, was Princess of Condé by her marriage in 1728 to Duke Louis-Henri de Bourbon-Condé known as Monsieur le Duc. The princess is portrayed seated on a canopy of gilded wood trimmed with raspberry red velvet, the body positioned facing forward while the face is turned three-quarters to the left. The face with a thoughtful and thoughtful gaze is awakened by its large gray eyes, the translucent skin with painted cheeks accentuates the effect of a melted execution of the model. Her powdered and tied hair is adorned with an orange veil which goes down on her shoulders. The separation fades between the powdered hair and the face. Dressed in a golden yellow satin dress embellished with multiple rows of white and black lace flounces at the bodice and sleeves, the neckline of her dress reveals her bare throat. The ermine coat lined with blue velvet is placed behind his shoulders, the sides of the coat come back to the front and are arranged in angular folds on his knees. With her right hand, arm bent at the elbow, she caresses her little dog, while the left arm resting on the armrest of the armchair is extended and the index finger of her open hand points to the right. The positions of the arms and the head generate an illusion of diagonal movement allowing to break the static character of portrait. This stretching of the arms horizontally is characteristic of Nattier's works, the figure thus grows in size in the painting by occupying a larger place there. This process carried out by highlighting the elegance of refined gestures increases the natural grace of the young woman. The sober architectural background is composed of a column draped with a green curtain and flattened pilasters with Ionian capitals. The light coming from the right partially illuminates the figure, leaving the left part in shadow. Illuminated, the young woman's dress reflects golden reflections in warm orange tones, while the velvet of the coat broken into angular folds reveals its surface through icy white ridges. This opposition only accentuates the volumes and textures of the fabrics. The facial features under a subtle effect of blurred appear more softened while the pearly white complexions seem illuminated with an inner radiance. Related works: Our work is a variant of the painting executed by Jean Marc Nattier...

Louis-Gabriel BLANCHET (Versailles, 1701 – Rome, 1772) Presumed self-portrait of the artist Oil on canvas H. 73 cm; W. 60 cm Circa 1730 Originally presented in a Restoration period frame with a "Mignard" cartouche, this beautiful painting initially appeared to us as a work from northern Italy. However, it exuded a rather French form of refinement, suggesting that its artist may have assimilated a dual influence from both sides of the Alps. We thank our colleague and friend Philippe Mendès for spontaneously and judiciously "bringing out" the name of Louis-Gabriel Blanchet, a Romanized French portraitist, whose spirit and stylistic characteristics we clearly recognize here. Blanchet's "French" years, before his final departure for Rome in 1728, following his winning of the second Grand Prix for painting after Subleyras in 1727, are extremely poorly documented. His father, Gabriel, was valet to Blouin, himself Louis XIV's first valet at the time. According to Thierry Lefrançois, Blanchet was one of the few students of Nicolas Bertin (1667-1736), whose studio he is said to have joined in the early 1720s. At a baptism on March 24, 1724, where he was godfather, he is mentioned as a painter in the picture store of the Duke of Antin, the director of buildings between 1708 and 1736. At this time, he was probably already married to Jeanne Quément, with whom he had a daughter also named Jeanne, who would marry Nicolas Aviet, the son of a valet in the queen's wardrobe, in Versailles in 1738. When Blanchet arrived in Rome in October 1728, he was accompanied by Subleyras, Trémolières, and Slodtz. He enjoyed the goodwill of Vleughels, the director of the Académie de France, which had been based at the Palazzo Mancini since 1725, even though the latter was not always kind to our resident. From 1732, he was under the protection of the Duke of Saint-Aignan when he took up his post as ambassador to Rome. Along with Slodtz and Subleyras, they formed a trio of friends, joined by Joseph Vernet shortly after his arrival in Rome in 1734. Slodtz and Blanchet, on the occasion of Subleyras's marriage in 1739, were there to attest that their friend was not bound by any marital commitment, and Blanchet was a witness at Vernet's wedding in 1745. It is most likely from these early years in Rome that our portrait of the artist dates, the expression and turn of his face irresistibly reminiscent of a self-portrait. The still relatively youthful features may correspond to Blanchet's thirty-something years, and the fluffy wig was still fashionable at this time. The painting fits well with the depiction of a young painter wanting to display both the beginnings of success and a certain simplicity or restraint. A slight smile expresses a form of assurance in this man with a gentle, sincere gaze and a face radiating a keen sense of wit. We find here the air of intimacy present in almost all of Blanchet's portraits, even those from the 1750s and 1760s, as well as an almost complicity with the viewer. The spirit of the painting is quite close to that of the presumed portrait of Bouchardon (painted around 1730) and the portrait of Pannini, painted in 1736, but it possesses a more natural quality, notably thanks to the absence of decorum. Our work exhibits the characteristics of Blanchet's paintings: elegance, luminosity (especially in the whites), vibrant and refined colors (here, the harmony of the garnet of the garment and the slate blue of the background, whose uniformity is tempered by a very sketched landscape and a grove of greenery), light complexions, rather rosy cheekbones, often full lips, and rather tight framing. According to the Academy's rules, Blanchet's stay should have ended in the spring of 1732, but, for reasons unknown, he remained in the Eternal City until his death, as did his friend Subleyras, with whom he shared accommodation until the late 1730s. The latter regularly called upon him to collaborate on his paintings, such as The Meal at Simon's. Through Saint-Aignan's intervention, Blanchet was employed in the late 1730s by the Stuart princely family, then exiled in Italy. He notably produced copies (now lost) after Liotard of the portraits of Charles Edward and Henry Benedict, the sons of James III Stuart. The latter also commissioned three other portraits (now in the National Portrait Gallery in London), whose more formal character contrasts with the intimate spirit of Blanchet's portraits. Blanchet frequented English painters, such as the landscape painter Richard Wilson, and studied with the Scottish portraitist Katherine Read...