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拍品專文
The daughter of Stanislaus Leczinski, duc de Lorraine and former King of Poland, Marie-Charlotte-Sophie-Flicit Leczinka was born June 23, 1703 and became Queen of France upon her marriage to Louis XV in Strasbourg on August 15, 1725. She bore the King ten children, endured his numerous adulteries with forebearance, and eventually withdrew to Versailles to lead a pious life dedicated to charitable works. She died at the Chteau de Versailles on June 24, 1768 and was buried at Saint-Denis.
The present portrait is a version of one of Nattier's best known and most important paintings. The prime version (Versailles) in three-quarter length - was completed in April 1748 and exhibited to great acclaim in the Salon of that year. The Queen herself chose to be represented en habit de ville, and Nattier lavished his attention on rendering her magnificent red velvet, fur-trimmed gown and white and black lace bonnet; she rests her hand on an open Bible.
Although the portrait was copied innumerable times, only a few replicas by Nattier or his workshop are known today. Royal accounts record that the Queen made payments for two replicas from Nattier's own hand to be offered to two of her most faithful friends, the comte de Maurepas and Pris-Duvernay; one of these is probably the painting today in the Muse des Beaux-Arts, Dijon.
The original painting was engraved by J-N Tardieu in 1755; however, another print showing the Queen in half-length was made ten years later, probably reproducing a half-length version of the portrait. Although half-length versions are sometimes workshop productions or copies (including one at Versailles), an example in the Muse Cognacq-Jay, Paris, is so fine and subtle in handling as to confirm its autograph status; in it, the image of the Queen appears behind an oval, trompe-l'oeil stone surround.
The present painting was sold at auction in 1968 as a studio copy and is listed as such in the 1980 catalogue of the Muse Cognacq-Jay. However, its quality is so high that it rises far above the level of a standard workshop copy. The soft, sfumato of the modeling of flesh, the palpable sense of atmosphere surrounding Marie Leczinska's figure, the delicate evocation of light, fine detailing of her costume, and assured drawing throughout the composition all identify the present painting as by Nattier himself.
The present portrait is a version of one of Nattier's best known and most important paintings. The prime version (Versailles) in three-quarter length - was completed in April 1748 and exhibited to great acclaim in the Salon of that year. The Queen herself chose to be represented en habit de ville, and Nattier lavished his attention on rendering her magnificent red velvet, fur-trimmed gown and white and black lace bonnet; she rests her hand on an open Bible.
Although the portrait was copied innumerable times, only a few replicas by Nattier or his workshop are known today. Royal accounts record that the Queen made payments for two replicas from Nattier's own hand to be offered to two of her most faithful friends, the comte de Maurepas and Pris-Duvernay; one of these is probably the painting today in the Muse des Beaux-Arts, Dijon.
The original painting was engraved by J-N Tardieu in 1755; however, another print showing the Queen in half-length was made ten years later, probably reproducing a half-length version of the portrait. Although half-length versions are sometimes workshop productions or copies (including one at Versailles), an example in the Muse Cognacq-Jay, Paris, is so fine and subtle in handling as to confirm its autograph status; in it, the image of the Queen appears behind an oval, trompe-l'oeil stone surround.
The present painting was sold at auction in 1968 as a studio copy and is listed as such in the 1980 catalogue of the Muse Cognacq-Jay. However, its quality is so high that it rises far above the level of a standard workshop copy. The soft, sfumato of the modeling of flesh, the palpable sense of atmosphere surrounding Marie Leczinska's figure, the delicate evocation of light, fine detailing of her costume, and assured drawing throughout the composition all identify the present painting as by Nattier himself.