Portrait of Marie Thérèse de Bourbon, Nicolas Fouché (Troyes, 1653 – Paris 1733)

Nicolas Fouché, or Foucher (Troyes, 1653 – Paris 1733) attributable

Portrait of Marie Thérèse de Bourbon (Paris, 1666 – Paris, 1732), Princess of Conti

Oil painting on canvas
73 x 59 cm. – In a gilded frame 88 x 74 cm.

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The young and beautiful girl portrayed in this painting is the French princess Marie-Thérèse de Bourbon-Condé (1666 – 1732), also known as Princess of Conti following her marriage to François-Louis de Bourbon-Conti.

A direct member of the French royal dynasty, he was born in Paris to Henry III Jules of Bourbon-Condé (Prince of Condé) and Anne Henriette of the Palatinate.

The beautiful noblewoman is depicted here from behind, her torso turned, and her gaze directed at the viewer. We admire her delicate features, characterized by a pale complexion and cheeks slightly flushed with makeup, which highlight her large, dark eyes.

Her brown, curly hair is gathered in a complex hairstyle typical of the French court of the time, embellished with a red ribbon tied between the locks, leaving a long, soft curl falling over her left shoulder.

The princess wears a shiny white silk dress with a low cut, which vividly reflects the light, creating soft drapes. It features wide sleeves and a generous neckline, cinched at the waist with a blue sash. The sleeve is delicately gathered at the shoulder with a precious dark clasp, perhaps a cameo, and ends on the arm with very fine lace embroidery.

As often happened with ladies of the high nobility endowed with great beauty, she became the subject of the most famous portraitists of the French court between the late 17th and early 18th centuries, including Nicolas de Largillière, François de Troy, Hyacinthe Rigaud and Pierre Mignard. The latter painted her official portrait, and perhaps the best-known, in 1691, now in the Musée de Port-Royal (Imm. 1).

To this illustrious list of names must be added that of the author of our canvas, Nicolas Foucher (Troyes, 1653 – Paris 1733), a prominent portraitist of the French school of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.

He spent most of his career in Paris, as a student and then collaborator of Pierre Mignard, inheriting from his master the graphic models with those stylistic characteristics characterised by great grace and delicacy.

Also known for his portraits of the Princess, Fouché was attributed, for example, a refined three-quarter portrait in which the princess wears a blue dress and holds daisies in her hand (Image 2). This painting is historically similar and mirrors, in style and pose, Mignard's graphic models, so much so that the two attributions have often been confused on the antiques market.

Although his works are relatively rare, they demonstrate a mastery of decorative refinement that, following Mignard, distances itself from the monumental rigidity of other contemporaries (such as Charles Le Brun), preferring sinuous lines, nuanced transitions and an extremely fluid and silky rendering of fabrics.

For comparison, we can mention the portrait of Maria of Lorraine and her younger sister Charlotte of Lorraine (image 3), where the features of the former are mirrored in the painting in question: we find her refined features and also the pose of her face, three-quarters and slightly inclined.

Fouché's subjects are in fact distinguished by an unmistakable, extremely graceful classicism, known at the time as mignardise (literally “graceful” or “lovely”), where the faces present idealized features, serene expressions and clear, smooth complexions, designed to please and ennoble the Parisian aristocracy.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Good condition of conservation, small restorations and retouchings here and there.
The painting is set in a rich and elaborate rectangular gilded wooden frame, finely carved with floral motifs, garlands and geometric scrolls at the corners.

The work is sold accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card.

We take care of and organize the transport of the purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers.

Contact us for any information, we will be happy to answer you. It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery in Riva del Garda, we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works.

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