Marion Mroz Portrait Paintings

These two royal portraits are a major historical testimony to the stay of the Comte d'Artois (the future Charles X) and his family in Edinburgh in 1796-1797. Given by the sitters to Lord Adam Gordon, the Governor of Edinburgh, and kept by family descent to this day, these two portraits provide us with a vivid and spontaneous image of the Duc d’Angoulême and his brother the Duc de Berry. Danloux, who had emigrated to London a few years before, demonstrate his full assimilation of the art of British portrait painters in the brilliant execution of these portraits. 1. Henri-Pierre Danloux, a portraitist in the revolutionary turmoil Born in Paris in 1753, Henri-Pierre Danloux was first a pupil of the painter Nicolas-Bernard Lépicié (1735 - 1784) and then, in 1773, of Joseph-Marie Vien (1716 - 1809), whom he followed to Rome when, at the end of 1775, Vien became Director of the Académie de France. In Rome he became friends with the painter Jacques-Louis David (1748 - 1825). Returning to France around 1782, he settled in Lyon for a few years before returning to Paris in 1785. One of his first portraits was commissioned by the Baroness d'Etigny, the widow of the former Intendant of the Provinces of Gascony, Bearn and Navarre Antoine Mégret d'Etigny (1719 – 1767). He then became close to his two sons, Mégret de Sérilly and Mégret d'Etigny, who in turn became his patrons. In 1787, this close relationship with the d'Etigny family was further strengthened by his marriage to Antoinette de Saint-Redan, a relative of Madame d'Etigny. After his marriage, he left for Rome and did not return to France until 1789. It was during the winter of 1790-1791 that he painted one of his masterpieces, the portrait of Baron de Besenval. Set in a twilight atmosphere, this portrait of an aristocrat who knows that his death is imminent symbolizes the disappearance of an erudite and refined society which would be swept away by the French Revolution. The Jacobin excesses led Danloux to emigrate to England in 1792; many members of his family-in-law who remained in France were guillotined on 10 May 1794. Danloux enjoyed great success as a portrait painter in England before returning to France in 1801. During his stay in England, Danloux was deeply under the influence of English portraitists: his colors became warmer (as shown by the portrait of the Duc d'Angoulême that we are presenting), and his execution broader. 2. Description of the two portraits and biographical details of the sitters The Duc d'Angoulême (1775-1844) was the eldest son of the Comte d'Artois, the younger brother of King Louis XVI (the future King Charles X), and his wife Marie-Thérèse of Savoie. He is shown here, in the freshness of his youth, wearing the uniform of colonel-general of the "Angoulême-Dragons" regiment. He is wearing the blue cordon of the Order of the Holy Spirit, which was awarded to him in 1787, and two decorations: the Cross of Saint-Louis and the Maltese Cross, as he was also Grand Prior of the Order of Malta. Born on 16 August 1775 in Versailles, Louis-Antoine d'Artois followed his parents into emigration on 16 July 1789. In 1792, he joined the émigrés’ army led by the Prince de Condé. After his stay in Edinburgh (which will be further discussed), he went to the court of the future King Louis XVIII, who was in exile at the time, and in 1799 married his first cousin Marie-Thérèse Charlotte of France, the daughter of Louis XVI and the sole survivor of the royal family. The couple had no descendants. He became Dauphin of France in 1824, upon the accession to the throne of his father but played only a minor political role, preferring his military position as Grand Admiral. Enlisted in Spain on the side of Ferdinand VII, he returned home crowned with glory after his victory at Trocadero in 1823. He reigned for a very short time at the abdication of Charles X in 1830, before relinquishing his rights in favor of his nephew Henri d'Artois, the Duc de Bordeaux. He then followed his father into exile and died on 3 June 1844 in Gorizia (now in Italy). His younger brother, the Duc de Berry, is shown in the uniform of the noble cavalry of the émigrés’ Army. He is wearing the blue cordon of the Order of the Holy Spirit, awarded to him in May 1789, and the Cross of Saint-Louis (partly hidden by his blue cordon). Born on 24 January 1778 in Versailles, Charles-Ferdinand d'Artois also followed his parents into emigration and joined the émigrés’ army in 1792. After his stay in Edinburgh, he remained in Great Britain, where he had an affair with Amy Brown...

Realistic figurative portrait of an indigenous Native American man by American artist Kenneth Su. The work features a man dressed in traditional clothing with large rock formations i...

Realistic figurative portrait of an indigenous Native American woman by American artist Kenneth Su. The work features a woman dressed in traditional clothing with tipis in the backgr...

Adriana Verelst Portrait of Lady Lempster 1683-1769 Oil on canvas, unsigned Image size: 49 ½ x 40 ⅓ inches Contemporary-style gilt frame The sitter is identified as Lady Sophia Osborne, Baroness Lempster (Leominster) (1661 - 1746), the daughter of Thomas Osborne, First Duke of Leeds, and Lady Bridget Bertie. Her first marriage was to Donogh O’Brien, Lord Ibracken in 1679, who passed away in 1682. She then married William Fermor, First Baron Leominster, in 1691, gaining her the title Baroness Leominster. She and William had five children, including Thomas Fermor, First Earl of Pomfret. The portrait is dated 1685, indicating that this identification was added after the creation of the portrait. During the early 18th century a highly romanticised view of country life reached its peak. Many members of the nobility, particularly women, chose to have their portraits painted in shepherdess costume, a break from the conventional norms of formal portraiture. This style developed from 17th century Roman pastoral landscapes by artists like Claude Lorrain and Dutch three-quarter length portraits of shepherds and shepherdesses. These works aimed to evoke themes of Arcadia, poetic escape and landed virtue, with their subjects depicted wearing fashionable and expensive clothing, inconsistent with actual farm work. A knowledge of Latin and Greek pastoral poetry signified education and refinement, desirable qualities for a woman to possess. Life in the country was perceived as peaceful, contemplative and free of hardships, and to be painted in this pastoral style was to create a tangible expression of power and wealth, creating tension between the aristocratic fantasy and the reality of rural life. Lady Lempster has opted for such a depiction. She is shown seated, wearing a white silk gown, head tilted slightly to one side and with a shepherd’s crook and wicker hat adorned with flowers in her lap. She sits on a bench, in front of a large tree, an expansive view visible on the right behind her. So ingrained was this style that the crook and hat alone would be enough to suggest Arcadia to the viewer. There is an interesting contrast between the female sitter and the woman artist who painted her. The shepherdess costume was used predominantly in portraits of women sitters, with the aim of expressing virtues such as purity and appropriate education rather than a distinct, individual personality. Portraits of men however, depicted sitters in settings, costume and surrounded by objects that signified their profession and accomplishments. Adriana Verelst was a woman with a career of her own, able to support herself and defying expectations of the time, the conformity of Lady Lempster’s portrait emphasising Verelst’s own unconformity. Adriana Verelst Adriana Verelst (c. 1683–1769) was an English portrait artist, and daughter of the portrait painter Herman Verelst. Her exact date and place of birth are unknown, though her parents were from Vienna. Verelst is a prime example of how women artists were often misrepresented or even erased from the cannon of art history. There have been questions surrounding her biography with the view that her sister, Maria Verelst and fellow portrait artist, did not exist and could be Adriana Verelst herself. Contemporary evidence of Adriana’s birth, marriage, career and death exist, however, she has not been included in later art histories. In contrast, there is no contemporary documentary evidence for the existence of Maria Verelst, though she is named in later publications. The name Maria Verelst first appeared in Matthew Bryan’s Dictionary of 1816 and it has been argued that his use of the name was a misinterpretation of ‘M’ being an abbreviation for Maria rather than ‘Mademoiselle’. The date of birth and location in Antwerp was given by J.B. Descamps in 1753, though there is no archival evidence of a birth or baptism for Maria in Antwerp at this time. In 1762, Horace Walpole made the link between Maria and Herman Verelst, an Anglo-Dutch painter, as the father of the artist. As Herman had fled from the siege of Vienna in 1683, biographers resonated that with a birth date of 1680, Maria must have been born in Vienna. Biographers also stated that Maria was trained by her uncle, Simon Verelst, a renown painter of flowers and still lifes. The first reference to 1744 as the date of Maria’s death was in 1859 in Mrs. Ellet’s Women Artists in all Ages and Countries, though no source is given for this date. It has been argued that Maria Verelst is in fact Adriana, claiming that earlier biographies used ‘M. Verelst’ as Mademoiselle in reference to Mademoiselle Adriana Verelst. If these were in fact two separate women, they would have been sisters. Maira’s grandfather, Pieter Hermansz Verelst...

Title: Baby Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 15.5 x 15.5 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note: This painting i...

Oil on canvas Image size: 10 x 7 1/2 inches (25.5 x 19 cm) Contemporary gilt frame This painting is a copy of Thomas Lawrence’s 1822 portrait of Armand Emmanuel du Plessis, Duke of ...

Title: Peking opera actress Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 15.5 x 11.5 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note:...

Title: Peking opera actress Medium: Oil on canvas Size: 15.5 x 11.5 inches Frame: Framing options available! Condition: The painting appears to be in excellent condition. Note:...

Elsie Manville (1922-2012) The Hand Mirror (Self-portrait Still Life), ca. 1955. Oil on canvas measuring 10 x 12 inches. Signed by the artist lower right. Framed measurement: 1...

French Mid Century Large Expressionist oil on canvas of two seated Provencale figures, Le Tricoteur, by Jean Arene. The painting is signed and dated bottom left. Painted when Arene...

AGNES Size: 57.5 x 49 cm (including frame) Oil on canvas A thoughtful mid-century figurative portrait that captures a female figure in a moment of inward reflection, executed in oi...

A striking portrait of a native American woman, Owns Different Horses, by artist James Neil Boyle. Neil (James Neil) Boyle, grew up in Indian Country. His father was an honorary Chie...