Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun (Paris 1755-1842)

Portrait of an artist

Details

Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun (Paris 1755-1842)
Portrait of an artist
oil on canvas
21 7/8 x 18 1/8 in. (55.6 x 46 cm.)

Provenance

Groult collection, Paris, and by descent to
Pierre Bordeaux-Groult (1916-2007), Paris, from whom acquired in 2004 by the following.
Private collection.

Literature

S.M. Alsop, 'Echoes of the Enlightenment: A Stately Paris Home Honors the Eighteenth Century,' Architectural Digest, XLII, September 1985, p. 213, as a self-portrait by Louis Rolland Trinquesse.
To be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of Vigée Le Brun by J. Baillio

Exhibited

New York, Wildenstein, The Arts of France from François I to Napoléon I: A Centennial Celebration of Wildenstein’s Presence in New York, October 26, 2005-January 6, 2006, no. 106. Illustrated (color)

Sale room notice

Please note that this picture does not represent the artist’s brother, Etienne Vigée, as suggested in the catalogue note - it relates to her early portrait of him painted in c. 1773 on a stylistic basis.

Brought to you by

Alexa Armstrong

aarmstrong@christies.com +1 212 468 7143

Lot Essay

In this intimate portrait of a fellow artist, painted in the early part of Vigée Le Brun’s career in c. 1773, the artist demonstrates her impressively refined technique at a young age. Although the identity of the sitter is not known, he bears a clear likeliness to Elizabeth’s brother, Étienne Vigée.

The present work will be included in Joseph Baillio's forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of Vigée Le Brun.

More from Old Masters: Part II

View All