Back

Female Portrait

unknown (Workshop of Louis de Silvestre)

Basic information

ID: Ж-1283
Author: unknown (Workshop of Louis de Silvestre)
Name: Female Portrait
Date of creation: 18th c.
Technique: oil painting
Material: duplicated canvas oil
Dimensions: 67 x 55.8 cm (height x width)

Additionally

Type: painting
Genre: portraiture
Plot: Portrait
Provenance: Collection of Wiktor Baworowski
Exposition: Potocki Palace

Information about author

Author: unknown (Workshop of Louis de Silvestre)
Country: France
Biography: Louis de Silvestre (1675–1760) was a French Rococo and Late Baroque painter who achieved European recognition as a portraitist and master of monumental and decorative painting.
He was born in Paris into the family of Israel Silvestre (1621–1691), the court painter to King Louis XIV. He studied painting under Charles Le Brun and Bon Boullogne, and later perfected his skills in Rome under the guidance of Carlo Maratti. In 1706, he became a professor at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris.
In 1716, at the invitation of Augustus II the Strong, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland, Louis de Silvestre moved to Dresden. For over 30 years, he held the position of first court painter. For the Dresden residence, he created numerous monumental ceiling paintings, altarpieces, and a gallery of portraits of the royal family and high aristocracy. For his services, he received a noble title from Augustus III.
In 1752, Louis de Silvestre returned to France, where Louis XV appointed him director of the Royal Academy of Painting.
His portraits are characterised by idealised "porcelain" faces with a soft blush and a subtle rendering of the textures of fabrics – velvet, silk, and lace. The works of Louis de Silvestre are held in the world's leading museums, notably in the Dresden Picture Gallery and the Louvre.

Object description

The bust-length female portrait against a neutral background is an example of 18th-century European intimate portrait painting.
The young noblewoman is depicted in a three-quarter turn to the left, her calm gaze directed at the viewer. There is a subtle smile on her face and a light blush on her cheeks. Her hair is styled in neat curls around her head and lightly powdered with white in accordance with the fashion of the time. This hairstyle may also indicate the use of a wig.
The woman wears an exquisite dress with a deep neckline adorned with fine white lace. The bodice is crafted from dark green velvet and decorated with gold embroidery along the neckline. A heavy white mantle with a carmine lining is draped over her shoulders.
The painting demonstrates the artist's desire to emphasise the nobility and high status of the sitter in accordance with 18th-century courtly canons.

Legal regulation

Borys Voznytskyi Lviv National Art Gallery

Female Portrait

Other