18th Century Paintings

A finely painted picture, possibly of the penitent Mary Magdelane, painted in oil on to a copper plate and dating to c1750. Condition Two old touch ins, tiny chip to the forehead...

Still Life with Dead Birds 18th Century Italian School oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 17 x 21 inches canvas: 14 x 18 inches provenance: private collec...

Flemish painter of the 18th century - Follower of Jan van der Meer, called Vermeer d'Utrecht (Schoonhoven, verses 1630 - 1692) Courtship scene at the entrance of an inn oil on canvas, 70 x 62 cm. (with frame 80 x 72 cm.) This pleasant genre scene, depicting a young innkeeper conversing amiably with a gentleman as she prepares to serve him wine in a glass goblet that she still holds in her hand, is inspired by the painting made in 1653 by the Dutch painter Jan van der Meer, known as Vermeer d'Utrecht, and today kept in Paris at the Louvre Museum. Set outside an inn or a post station, the scene illustrates the theme of seduction, with the young waitress being courted by the client, a charming traveler with a changing red cloak, who tries to charm her. Yes, it is a work that harmoniously combines the painter's Dutch origins, with the stylistic characters learned during his training in his homeland, with the Italian-like characters learned during his trip to Italy around 1655. In Rome, in particular, he met and collaborated with various authors of the Bamboccianti school, first of all Jan Miel...

A fine, imposing 18th century portrait of an unknown aristocrat,housed in a gilt frame The artist is also unidentified but certainly a talented hand, in the circle of one of the fine old masters of the period The size overall is 148 x 121 cm whilst the painting is 128 x 101 cm In overall good condition the frame at the bottom has bowed slightly The painting has been checked whilst being cleaned and has not been affected in any way . SHIPPING Free delivery to mainland uk ,worldwide shipping available please email for quote Delivery usually within 14 working days, insured please provide telephone/email details for courier. All taxes/customs etc to be paid for by purchaser. RETURNS (The Consumer Contracts Regulations) Whilst we are sure that you will be extremely happy with your purchase, if for any reason you are not, then you are entitled to return the item to us for a refund. For all purchases made you are entitled to return the item(s) for a period of up to 14 days following receipt by you or a representative indicated by you. Please contact us to confirm that you are returning the item(s) and the reason for doing so. Upon receipt of the item(s) we will refund the purchase price via your original payment method...

Portrait Of General John Churchill, The Duke Of Marlborough At The Battle Of Ramillies, 1706 by JOHN VANDERBANK THE YOUNGER (1694-1739) Large early 18...

On the cardboard applied on the frame there is an annotation, belonging to some of the old owners, reporting the names of the portrayed in Kurrent handwriting: "Urgroßvater Ludwig Fr(ei)h(e)r(r) von Keller" "Urgroßmutter Fr(ei)h(e)r(rin) von Keller geb(oren) von Niebecker". So we can deduce that the models were Ludwig Friedrich Heinrich Ferdinand Baron of Keller (1760-1835), a German politician who was the director of the district of Prussia, and his wife Auguste Johanne Henriette Baroness of Niebecker (1760-1832). Their high class provenience is highlighted by the not contained expressive liveliness, by the proud pose imitating movement and by the elegance of the clothes which fabric seems palpable (especially sincere is the evanescent depiction of the pleated veil of the gorget and the adorned with arabesques decoration of the sleeves and the vest). The two pieces can be attributed to John Singleton Copley...

French school of the late 18th century Jerome PREUDHOMME (Attributed to) Arras, v1735 - Paris, 1810 Oil on canvas 47.5 x 55 cm (59 x 67 cm with the frame)  Beautiful old carved woode...

French School, Rococo period original Likely to be a preparatory sketch for a larger piece. oil painting on canvas laid on board, framed framed: 1...

Italian School, circa 1700's Classical figures in landscape oil on canvas, framed framed: 36 x 32 inches canvas: 30 x 25 inches provenance: private collection, UK condition: very goo...

Signed lower right for Johann Christian Vollerdt (1708 - 1769). The beauty of baroque scenery is visible in painting, an excellent perspective with striking effects of chiaroscuro. This distinguishes the work of German painters of the 18th century. In their paintings, they exaggerate nature a bit and go visually beyond the borders of the canvas. With the exception of one drawing (“River landscape in the Dutch style”), only paintings by Vollerdt are known at the moment, exclusively miniature river landscapes, which were very popular at the time. His earliest surviving works date from 1738, the latest from 1769. Oil painting on canvas, framed. Size app.: 34.5 x 43.2 cm (roughly 13.6 x 17 in) and nice original frame ca 46.5 by 55.5 cm (roughly 18.3 x 22 in). Very Good condition, usage age wear losses on the edges mostly; restorations, retouches; edge of canvas relined. Please study good resolution images for overall cosmetic condition. In person actual painting may appear darker or brighter than in our pictures, strictly depending on sufficient light in your environment. Weight of app. 2,05 kg is going to measure some 4 kg volume weight packed for shipment. Vollerdt initially received training in the private school of the copper engraver Paul Christian Zinck in Leipzig. After 1738 he began his apprenticeship with Johann Alexander Thiele in Dresden. Initially, he worked as a supraport painter. So he is probably the author of the 31 over-portals and panneaus in Oberlichtenau Castle, which Heinrich Graf von Brühl acquired in 1744, of which, however, only those in the garden hall have survived. From 1758 to 1769 V. painted a multitude of such landscapes, often pairs of pictures...

Although we have little bibliographical information on William James, we know that he was trained by Canaletto during the painter's stay in England between 1746 and 1755. Although he may never have been to Venice, William James remained under the influence of his master for a long time and became known for his paintings inspired by Canaletto's artworks. In this painting, William James is inspired by one of the twelve views of the Grand Canal painted by Canaletto for Joseph Smith, or more precisely by the engraving made by Antonio Visentini in 1735 after this painting. He delivers a very personal version, vibrant with colours, in which he brilliantly reproduces the moving surface of the sea, animated by the ever-changing traffic of the gondolas. 1. William James, the English follower...

We are grateful to Prof. Daniele Sanguineti for suggesting the attribution to Domenico Parodi (1672 - 1742). He dates the painting into the period between 1730 and 1740. Domenico Par...

Portrait of a well-to-do gentleman in pastel on parchment. Signed left: Marteau L. 1760. French School, possibly by Louis Marteau (1715 – 1804) In a gilded 19th century frame. Dimen...

This little jewel of a pastel of a young boy in his smart red jacket and silver trimmed waistcoat is by an artist working in the circle of Arthur Pond and ...

Antique battle scene with horsemen in front of landscape scenery. Oil on canvas. Framed in a black wooden frame with a gold patinated moulding. The canvas with strong craquelure. Siz...

A Pair of Forest Landscapes with River and Boat in the Foreground Brinckmann Philipp Hieronymus Spire 1709 – 1761 Manheim Old Master Signature: Signed "Ph. Brinckm" bottom lower lef...

'Cain et Abel' Circle of Franois Devosge (1732-1811) French pencil drawing with watercolour wash on paper size: 12.25 x 9 inches private collection, France The painting is in overall...

Flemish school 17th or 18th century Circle of Thomas WILLEBOIRTS BOSSCHAERT (Berg-op-Zoom, 1613 - Antwerp, 1654) Oil on canvas 72 x 59 cm (90 x 77 cm with frame) This work has been painted in a style close to the Antwerp school of the middle of the 17th century, to Anton van Dyck especially. We have found in particular several paintings similar to our painting in the works of Thomas Willeboirts Bosschaert. After having studied with Gerard Seghers...

Johannes JANSON (Attributed to) Amboyna (Moluccan Islands), 1729 - Leyden, 1784 Oil on canvas 47 x 57 cm (62 x 72 cm with frame) Trace of signature lower right Monogrammed and dated on the back "1755"Inscription on the recto « Johannes Janson » Very beautiful old frame in gilded wood from the 18th century. Good condition (a bit of thinness, a repair and some repainting, but well restored) As for the painting by Johannes Janson exhibited in the Louvre museum, our painting is also a "typical example of retrospective pastiche - much appreciated in the 18th century. – of recognized masters of the Golden Age, the specialists in Dutch rustic landscape Potter, Adriaen van de Velde or Dujardin. Recognizable in our painting is the way Janson represents trees, and animals (the horse in particular on the left is recognizable). And also the silhouettes of his small characters painted in bright colors. This village fair is a rich composition with many characters, musicians, drummers, peasant men and women, children. The scene is very cheerful and it has the charm of the festive atmosphere of the Dutch countryside with many picturesque details represented such as the dancers with a glass or a pitcher in their hands, the dishes or baskets which circulate filled with food, the child playing with a dog or the musician with the violin who animates the assembly. The vivid colors are characteristic of Dutch 17th century genre...

Oil on canvas Image size: 12 3/4 x 9 1/2 inches (32.5 x 24.25 cm) Here, we see a sleeping putti lying underneath a set of trees, holding a ribbon. The text that can be seen on the scroll is from the Song of Solomon, chapter five, verse two; ' I sleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, saying, Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night'. This work was created after a well-known painting by the Spanish artist Alonso Cano...

Claude VIGNON (After) Tours, 1593 – Paris, 1670 Oil on canvas 60 x 45 cm (80 x 65 cm with the frame) Very good condition In the 17th century the french...

This charming work is a good example of the type of portrait in vogue during the first quarter of the eighteenth century in Britain. The sitter, portrayed bust-length, wears a russet silk dress over a white chemise...

Provenance: • Bought from Sicart in Lyon by the Marquis de Chennevières (1820 - 1899) - Chennevières Collection (stamped lower left - Lugt 2072) • Inscribed on the back of the mount "Salle 10/Delestre, 27 February 1899” • Sold in Paris at the Hôtel Drouot during the second Chennevières sale (4 to 7 April 1900, n°44) as François Boucher - number 44 (sold for 18 francs to Roblin) • Sold in Paris at the Hôtel Drouot, 4 and 5 March 1901, n°12 as François Boucher Bibliography: this drawing is cited by Chennevières in "Une collection de dessins d'artistes français" (chapter XVIII, page 24-25) and is number 1033 of the Catalogue de la Collection Chennevières compiled by Louis-Antoine Prat with the collaboration of Laurence Lhinares. This well-documented drawing was given to Boucher by the Marquis de Chennevières, one of the most important collectors of drawings at the end of the 19th century. While the landscape is reminiscent of Boucher's other landscape drawings, our drawing was probably modified at a later stage by the addition of the two figures in the right foreground and by the slight enhancement of the horizon line behind them. 1. François Boucher, the master of French rocaille The extraordinary career of Francois Boucher was unmatched by his contemporaries in versatility, consistency, and output. For many, particularly the writers and collectors who led the revival of interest in the French rococo during the last century, his sensuous beauties and plump cupids represent the French eighteenth century at its most typical. His facility with the brush, even when betraying the occasional superficiality of his art, enabled him to master every aspect of painting – history and mythology, portraiture, landscape, ordinary life and, as part of larger compositions, even still life. He had been trained as an engraver, and the skills of a draftsman, which he imbued in the studio of Jean-Francois Cars (1661 – 1738), stood him in good stead throughout his career; his delightful drawings are one of the most sought-after aspects of his oeuvre. As a student of Francois Lemoyne (1688 - 1737), he mastered the art of composition. The four years he spent in Italy, from 1727-1731, educated him in the works of the masters, classics, and history, that his modest upbringing had denied him. On his return to Paris in 1734, he gained full membership of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture with his splendid Rinaldo and Armida (Paris, Musée du Louvre). Although, throughout his career, he occasionally painted subjects taken from the Bible, and would always have considered himself first as a history painter, his own repertoire of heroines, seductresses, flirtatious peasant girls and erotic beauties was better suited to a lighter, more decorative subject matter. His mastery of technique and composition enabled him to move from large scale...

Oil on layered paper Image size: 10 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches (26.5 x 21 cm) Contemporary swept frame This is an eighteenth century portrait of a...

Portrait of Princess of Bourbon as Hebe Pierre Gobert, circa 1730 Presumed portrait of Elisabeth Thérèse Alexandrine of Bourbon-Condé, Mademoiselle de Sens, depicted as the goddess Hebe kidnapped by Zeus, transformed into an eagle. 18th century French School, around 1730 Pierre Gobert (1662-1744) and workshop Oil on canvas Dimensions: canvas: h. 129 cm, w. 95cm Dimensions: framed: h. 156 cm, w. 124cm Louis XIV style giltwood and cardved wood frame Large and imposing portrait of the young princess portrayed seated on an eagle in the heavens. Seen from the front, the princess is dressed in a low-cut white chiffon dress, exposing her throat. Delicately made-up oval face, dominated by large blue-gray eyes is surrounded by powdered hair, raised, releasing the forehead and the ears, and of which some locks fall on his shoulder. A large blue scarf passed over the shoulder covers her knees and flies in the wind. A garland of flowers coming from the back goes over the knees and down again on the eagle. In her right hand she holds a golden goblet and in her left hand an ewer. The eagle supporting the young woman seizes in its claws the thunderbolt (the beam of fiery lightning), the attribute of Zeus. The figure of the young woman is enlivened by the fluidity of the antique drapes...

Attributed to John Downman (1750-1824) Portrait of a young gentleman, seated beside a tree Oil on canvas Canvas Size - 30 x 25 in John Downman was a fashionable portrait painter in the second half of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth. He was born in Ruabon, North Wales, the son of Francis Downman, an attorney of Devonshire stock, and his wife Charlotte, daughter of Francis Goodsend, the private secretary to George I. In 1768 John became a pupil of Benjamin West and the following year attended the Royal Academy Schools. He showed his first portrait at the RA in 1770 and his first subject painting in 1773, exhibiting there until 1819. From 1773-4 Downman, by now married, studied in Rome in the company of Joseph Wright of Derby. By 1777 Downman was living in Cambridge, but the following year set up a studio at Bedford Street, Covent Garden. From 1779-1804 he lived at increasingly fashionable London addresses, including Bond Street, Jermyn Street and Piccadilly. Downman painted few large-scale oil portraits...

English School, 18th century oil painting on canvas, framed framed: 53 x 45 inches canvas: 48 x 40 inches provenance: private collection, England condition: overall very presentable...

The beautiful portrait proposed, which represents a Genoese woman of high social origin and dressed in a sumptuous and elegant manner, illustrates the typical stylistic characteristics of the great Genoese portrait painter Giovanni Maria Delle Piane, called the Mulinaretto. Giovanni Maria delle Piane dit Mulinaretto (Genoa 1670 - Monticelli d´Ongina 1745), attributed Portrait of a noble Genoese nobleman Beginning of the 18th century Oil on canvas, 79 x 65 cm, In a beautiful carved and gilded wooden frame cm. 106 x 89 The noble lady displays a stern and proud expression, a smile which has just been mentioned but full of determination; the well-erected and authoritative pose is softened by the habit of the red ribbon woven in the hair, reminiscent of the brocade of clothes, according to an interpretive taste typical of Delle Piane. In the painting we appreciate the meticulous detail of the lace of the sleeves and fabrics on the neckline, the rich drapery of the dress, the contrast of colors between the golden threads of the embroidery and the iridescent red of the fabric that envelops the figure and that emerges from the the dark background. Finally, the pleasant conduction which characterizes the refined line is appreciated in the capacity to make the light glide on the clothes and the complexion of the woman. The artist, pupil of Giovanni Battista Gaulli...

Mexican 18 century virgin of Guadalupe . Oil on canvas.

18th century French Rococo portrait of a young noble lady This cheerful young lady is looking at the spectator with a sparkling eyes has a cheeky smile on her face, almost as if she has just heard a funny story. She is very elegantly dressed, wearing a blue dress with embroidered silk sleeves. The bodice is adorned with a cream silk band which has been beautifully tied to a ribbon at the top, a tulle-lining completes the dress. Her hair is styled in an elaborate 18th century style and tied together with a blue and cream silk hairband. This portrait has been wonderfully painted, the artist not only beautifully depicted the fabrics, but also marvellously captured the happy nature of the sitter. The painting really has a soul, when one looks at it, it feels as if one is looking at a real person. It is very close to the works of Joseph-Siffred Duplessis (1725-1802) and it shares an uncanny resemblance to the portrait that he painted of the Comtesse de Provence, Princess of Savoie and wife of the King Louis XVIII of France. Duplessis is known to have reused many of his favoured compositions in different portraits, but he always applied slight differences, such as in the present painting. We believe that the present painting was created by someone from his very close circle. Joseph-Siffred Duplessis (1725-1802) was a renowned French portrait painter, famed for his intimately rendered portraits. After training for many years in Paris, Duplessis presented himself to the Académie in 1769 and was afforded the opportunity to exhibit regularly at the Salon. He was very successful and in 1777, he was allowed to paint a full-length portrait of Louis XVI (1754–1793) in his state robes. Two years later he created a portrait of Benjamin Franklin in a red coat with a fur collar, a painting which was the subject of much favorable comment. It was destined to become the artist’s most famous work and perhaps the best known image of the great American patriot...

Lady Selby Of Melton. circa 1710 attributed to SIR GODFREY KNELLER (1646-1723) Large circa 1710 portrait of Lady Selby of Melton, oil on canvas attributed to Sir Godfrey Kneller. Excellent quality and condition oval bust scale portrait of the young lady set...

Amazing works of the genre scene, dates to the late 18th century. After the famous French artist Francois Boucher, who was the court painter to King Louis XV. It is in its origina...

James Shaw (fl.1769-1784) Still life of fruit and nuts Oil on canvas Canvas Size - 13 1/2 x 17 3/4 in Framed Size - 16 1/4 x 20 1/2 in Born in Sedgley in Staffordshire, it is unclea...

Felice Boselli (Piacenza 1650 - Parma 1732) - Shepherd with flock and game. 155 x 112 cm without frame, 170 x 126 cm with frame. Oil on canvas, in a faux marble lacquered wooden frame. The painting has stylistic affinities with "Game with children playing with a dog" (Parma, Galleria Nazionale) and with the pair of paintings "Old man and girl...

18th century Flemish School After David TENIERS Le Jeune Oil on canvas 72 x 53 cm (87 x 67.5 cm with the frame) Beautiful 19th century frame in black wo...

Oil painting on canvas. Central European school of the eighteenth century. Under a blue sky, a large, rather barren landscape is depicted, with the edge of a wood opening onto a rock...

George Morland (1763-1804) A Conversation by the Cottage Gate Unsigned original watercolour on paper Circa 1780

Naval Shipping in Stormy Seas English School, 18th century circle of Charles Brooking, (1723-1759) oil painting on canvas: 16.5 x 21.5 inches Morland ...

Oil on canvas. French portraits.

Pair of Battle Scenes is an oil painting realized by an italian artist in 18th century. 110x85 cm each. Framed. Good conditions.

Oil on canvas Image size: 29 1/2 x 24 inches (75 x 61 cm) Period gilt frame This is a notable half length portrait of a navel officer, holding a telescope. He stands wearing a blue ...

Portrait of an Eritrean Sibyl who writes the prophecy Circle of Lorenzo Pasinelli (Bologna 1629 - 1700) - Attributable to Giampietro Cavazzoni Zanotti ...

George Edwards: ""A History of Uncommon Birds"", 1749-1761. A prominent English naturalist and ornithologist, George Edwards (1694 -1773) is best known for his work, ""A Natural His...

Benjamin Killingbeck (act. 1769-1783) A dark bay racehorse held by his trainer on a racecourse Oil on canvas Canvas Size - 40 x 50 in Framed Size ...

Boy & His Dog, 19th Century by Jules BRETON (1827-1906) sales to $1,500,000 Large 19th Century French country portrait of a Boy and his Dog, oil on canvas by Jules Breton. Large 19th century portrait...

Benjamin Barker of Bath (Pontypool 1776-1838) A wooded river landscape with drovers Signed and dated 'B.Barker pinxt/ 1807' lower right Oil on canvas 46 x 68 3/4 in (116.8 x 174.5 cm...

Portrait of Johann Theodor of Bavaria (1703-1763) by Joseph Vivien Johann Theodor of Bavaria (* September 3, 1703 in Munich; † January 27, 1763 in Lièg...

A fine 18th century French pastel portrait on paper of an aristocrat wearing the order of St Louis, inferring that the sitter had been in the military serving the King. The pastel is unsigned but to the the back is a piece of the original backing paper with a notation to the Baronne de Minck. The paper has been backed with a type of vellum, It is presented in a plain gilt wood frame on a period stretcher under 18th century glass. The artist has used the pastel to create a wonderful soft velvety texture so characteristic of this medium which became so popular for portraits in the 18th century. A charming rendition of a typical 18th century nobleman...

St. George Defeats the Dragon Follower of Raphael Sanzio (Urbino, 1483 - Rome, 1520), 17th-18th century Oil on oval canvas 124 x 95 cm./ in frame 148 x 118 cm. The painting evocati...

The Lute Player, the Flute Player and Singers making Music • 18thC Oil on iron sheet, ca. 32 x 26.5 cm • Later Frame, ca. 40 x 34 cm Here we have a...

After the Hunt Jan Josef Horemans the Younger Antwerp 1714 – 1790 Flemish School Signature: Attributed to Jan Josef the Younger Horemans Medium: Oil on canvas Dimensions: Size incl...

Master active in Piedmont (dated 1782) - Tavern "Al Gambero Bon Vino". 133 x 133 cm without frame, 139 x 139 cm with frame. Oil on canvas, in a giltwood frame. - Indistinctly sig...

Pair of Gallant scenes is a pair of artworks realized by the French School in 18th Century. Oil on canvas. It Includes 2 ancient gilded frames. Scen...

Italianate landscape garden with classical ornament, including Giambologna's Sabine women and a classical urn, view to a bay beyond Coplestone War...

This portrait depicts us the trusted confidant of the Conflans d'Armentières family. More precisely, Julien Prieur was the fiscal procurator of the Marquisate of Armentières, playing the role of representative of the "public ministry", safeguarding the interests of his lord. His role, one can imagine, was crucial at the death of Michel de Conflans (in 1717) since the latter left an heir, Louis, aged only 6, and a widow, Diane Gabrielle de Jussac, whom some memoirs describe as "a very clever grande dame" . Prieur ensured the smooth running of the family's affairs and it is probably to thank him for his services that Diane Gabrielle had his portrait painted, most probably by a painter close to Jean-Baptiste Oudry. Julien Prieur appears as he is, middle-aged, with a benevolent look, in his hunting suit. Only his knotted wig links him to the nobility. Above all, he is depicted as a hunter, a passion that he shared with the Marquis of Armentières. His very young master, Louis, became a first-rate hunter, hunting in the King's entourage, in whose cabinet he died of apoplexy in January 1774. As for the his son, he was one of Louis XVI's closest hunting companions, as numerous souvenirs attest . 1. Some biographical information about the model and the commissioner While the identity of many 18th century portraits is uncertain, an old label stuck on the reverse of the canvas gives us some precise information on the identity of the model: "Mr. Julien Prieur, homme d’affaires de Mr. le Marquis d'Armentières - Commune of Brécy - Aisne". The label also suggests that it could be his son Louis Prieur living in Rocourt (probably Rocourt-Saint-Martin, a neighbouring municipality of Brécy), born on 30 September 1745, who died on 8 July 1826, but this hypothesis must be rejected in view of the model's clothing. This label probably gives us an indication on the previous owner the owner of this painting; we will see later why it seems likely that this label was affixed between 1826 and 1832. Brécy is now a municipality in the Aisne County (Hauts-de-France) located between Soissons and Château-Thierry, slightly north of the Paris-Reims axis. It borders the municipalities of Armentières-sur-Ourcq and Rocourt-Saint-Martin. According to Louis Prieur's death certificate, he was in fact born in 1743 and not in 1745 . The age of the model in the painting and the dating of this painting would indicate that Julien Prieur, was probably born at the very end of the 17th century. In Louise-Marthe de Conflans-Coigny, chatelaine de Brécy , we read that "the Conflans were a family of ancient nobility, which genealogists trace back to the 12th century, when it was said to have come from the house of Brienne. In the 16th and 17th centuries, this family had several illustrations in the profession of arms. [...] Michel de Conflans, [...] belonged to a younger branch of the family, of which Saint-Simon wrote, with his acid soaked pen, that "poor and obscure, they had never left their village, where their house resembled a hut" and elsewhere that they "lived on their rifles and cabbages". Fortunately for Michel de Conflans, the last representative of the elder branch, Henriette d'Armentières, made him her heir on her death in 1712. It was through her that the land of Armentières and its 14th century castle became part of the estate of this branch, as well as, not far from there, the land of Brécy and the castle of Le Buisson, where the family lived. In the early years of the 18th century, Michel de Conflans was able to push himself into the entourage of the Duke of Orleans, becoming his first gentleman of the chamber. However it was above all his son Louis who restored the family status through his military career. Born on 23 February 1711, Louis de Conflans, Marquis d'Armentières died of apoplexy on 18 January 1774, in the King's cabinet at Versailles. Appointed lieutenant general in 1746, he received his Marshal of France’s stick in 1768. The Dictionary of French Biography writes of him that "without ever achieving a high command, he appeared with honour in all the wars of his time". The estates of Armentières and Le Buisson were sequestered during the French Revolution, declared national property and sold at auction (in 1794 and 1795 respectively) after the Marquise d'Armentières, the Marshal's second wife, was beheaded in 1794. The Château du Buisson (where Michel de Conflans died in 1717) was bought by a granddaughter of the Marshal de Conflans, the Marquise de Coigny, in 1816 and remained in her family after her death in 1832 until the sale of the 1,054 hectares estate in 1866. The bayonet blows that probably pierced the canvas in three places may well have a revolutionary origin and it is conceivable that the painting, acquired by the Marquise de Coigny from Louis Prieur, Julien's son, after the latter's death, was then restored and given the label specifying the name of the model. 2. Description of the portrait The painting presents a man in his thirties in his hunting costume. Pictured at mid-body, his face is marked by his life in the open air and characterised by a look of great bonhomie. Holding a rifle under his elbow, he is soberly dressed in a large caramel-coloured jacket, decorated with silver buttons. Presented in a three-quarter view, the model holds a partridge in his right hand. The jacket opens onto a vermilion waistcoat. A green shoulder strap probably holds a powder flask hidden under his arm while a satchel is visible on his belt. The model is wearing a grey wig, tied at the back with a black ribbon that seems to fly in the wind. This ornament anchors Julien Prieur in his time. "The new King of France, Louis XV, [imposed] a style of smaller wigs for men and the rigorous white or preferably greyish powdering. From the middle of the century men also used a ponytail on the back of the neck, tied with a ribbon, a style that became very popular in all courts." He stands out against a dark, purplish sky at the end of an autumn day in a soberly sketched forest landscape. The treatment of the sky recalls the influence of Largillière, Oudry's first master. 3. Jean-Baptiste Oudry Jean-Baptiste Oudry was born on 17 March 1686 in Paris, rue de la Ferronnerie. He began his apprenticeship around 1705-1707 with Nicolas de Largillière, with whom he stayed for five years. In 1713 Oudry established his "livre de raison" in which he reproduced all his early works in wash drawings up until 1718. During this first period which lasted about 7 years, Oudry produced works of great diversity, both in the genres that the artist tackled and in the artists which influenced him. It has been estimated that he painted about 150 pictures during this period: mainly portraits, but also still lifes and some religious paintings and landscapes. Of the hundred or so portraits that Oudry is said to have painted during this period, only fifteen have been identified today. A number of those lost portraits are probably still confused with works by Largillière. First admitted to the Académie de Saint-Luc in 1708, he was then allowed to join the Académie Royale in 1717, and subsequently admitted as a history painter in 1719. This year marks a turning point from which Oudry will assert himself as an animal painter. In 1723 he met Louis Fagon, Intendant of Finances, and the Marquis de Beringhen, the King's first equerry, who became both friends and patrons of the artist, giving him access to royal commissions and enabling him to be appointed as painter of the Royal Tapestry Factory of Beauvais in 1726. From 1728 onwards, the creation of tapestries became the core of his work, even though at the same time Oudry developed his skill as an illustrator, first for Scarron's Roman Comique and then for La Fontaine’s Fables. Between 1726 and 1731, Oudry created the decoration of a large drawing room at the château de Condé-en-Brie, about twenty kilometres from Brécy, which has remained in place to this day. This important commission, about which few details are known, is said to have originated with the Countess de Verrüe, a great lady of the French Regency who often stayed at Condé with her friend Jean-François Leriget, Marquis de la Faye, then owner of Condé. A prolific artist, Oudry fulfilled numerous commissions in parallel with his regular contributions to the Salons, to which he regularly took part until 1753. He suffered a stroke in 1754 and died the following year. It seems almost certain, in view of the importance of his work, that Oudry supervised a workshop in which several artists were involved, but this point is very poorly documented. Given the geographical proximity of Brécy and Condé-en-Brie, the links between the Armentières family and the Condé patrons, and finally based upon the quality of our portrait, we propose the hypothesis that it was painted by one of the painters who worked with Oudry at Condé. 4. Related artworks: comparison with some other portraits of hunters by Jean-Baptiste Oudry While Oudry gradually abandoned portraiture from 1720 onwards to devote himself to animal paintings, he seems to have made an exception for hunter portraits, which were often depicted in the company of their hunting dogs. Two examples seem particularly evocative and suggest a dating for our painting around 1730. We will see in a second part why this dating proposal seems relevant. The first portrait worth mentioning is the presumed portrait of Lieutenant Claude-André Courtin de Crouey, lord of Quatre Fils and Cormeilles-en-Parisis made in 1723, reproduced below. Also presented in a very tight frame, it is interesting for the similarities in the representation of the rifle, and in particular the two metal rivets that are almost identical in our painting. The painting that seems closest to ours is the presumed portrait of Monsieur...

Workshop/Circle of François de Troy (Toulouse 1645 – Paris 1730) Portrait of a young lady (probably Marianne de Cogny, epouse de Philippe-Emmanuel de Beaufort...

Ships Sailing Off The Coast, circa 1800 Thomas LUNY (1759-1837) - one of a pair Huge 18th/19th century English shipping scene of various vessels off the coast with figures looking ...

Not only in the 17th century, but also in the 18th century, genre painting, where people are portrayed in their daily life, was successful. The theme of the milkmaid, which we all kn...