Is it Mdme Pompadour? The gown - embroidered roses on silk, hand made lace. The tea cup - Chinese import. The spoon, French sterling silver with 18k coating (vermeil), rare old marks.
From my collections, recently acquired from an anonymous estate in France, I believe this is a c.1750s intimate portrait of Mme Pompadour (Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Royal Mistress and Confidante of King Louis XV, France). The settings, style of portrait and the casual intimacy of her pose all liken to her other portraits - at her sewing; at her reading; at her boudoir; at tea. In this one her face looks right, as well, but for the exagerated pink make-up usually shown on her cheeks, making it an even more intimate portrait in my view. Painted for a dear friend? Or for King Louis XV, himself? We will never know for certain. Charles-André v van Loo, (French, 1705-1765) was from a long lineage of Dutch artists - a true dynasty. He was also a favorite artist (First painter to) of Louis XV and his Mistress, whose portrait I offer here. The question that remains is, is it a miniature after a Van Loo painting, or is this the original, worked to finish by one of his assistants? One certainly can imagine that King Louis XV had many portrait miniatures of her. This one remains one of my favorites.
Artist signed, oddly, on both sides, "Van Der Tarlen d' Van-Loo", harking to the Van-Loo Dutch artists and their many portraits of the French Royals in the c.1600-1700s.
Very good to excellent throughout. From the heavy cast bronze frame in large size, to the oversized wafer and exquisite painting accomplished thereupon. No breaks in cover glass or wafer, no dings nor dents to mar the heavy frame. Museum quality in all ways. Measurements noted on the photos.
