Portrait of a lady in blue, bust-length

Despite his reception into the Académie Royale in 1717 as a history painter, over the course of the next half-century Nattier became arguably the leading court portraitist in Paris. This painting likely dates to 1736, several years after Nattier first ingratiated himself into courtly society, as indicated by the existence of a signed and dated copy in rectangular format (Present location unknown). A second copy in pastel, signed and dated 1746, was sold Dallas, Dallas Auction Gallery, 11 January 2006, lot 197. A nearly identical treatment of background foliage appears in Nattier’s exquisite Portrait of Françoise-Renée de Carbonnel de Canisy, marquise d’Antin of 1738 (Paris, Musée Jacquemart-André).

The painting has an exceptional provenance, having formerly been in the collection of the eminent French fashion designer Jacques Doucet. When the painting featured in Doucet’s 1912 sale, described by contemporaries as ‘the sale of the century’, it brought the princely sum of 100,000 francs. Of all French paintings in the sale, it was eclipsed only by masterpieces by Chardin, Fragonard, Robert, and Vigée Le Brun.