PORTRAIT PAINTERS
The leading position among the portrait painters of Louis xv.’s corrupt Court was occupied by Jean Marc Nattier (1685–1766), who was a good colourist, but was utterly lacking in sincerity, and placed his able brush at the service of the basest flattery. He has left a whole gallery of Court beauties posing as, and invested with the attributes of, Greek goddesses and allegorical personifications in the manner of the group of Mdlle. de Lambesc and the Comte de Brienne (No. 659) as Minerva preparing the hero for warlike exploits. The Magdalen (No. 657) is probably another contemporary portrait in fancy costume. His best picture at the Louvre is the Portrait of a Young Woman (No. 661a).
François Hubert Drouais (1725–1775), the painter of the group of the Comte d’Artois (afterwards Charles X.) and Madame Clotilde, afterwards Queen of Sardinia (No. 266), who received a good share of Court patronage, showed considerable ability when he had sufficient strength to resist the temptation to flatter his sitters. But unfortunately he too often followed the example of Nattier in this respect.
TOCQUÉ, VESTIER, AND LÉPICIÉ
A portrait painter of a very different stamp was Nattier’s son-in-law, Louis Tocqué (1696–1772). Although he, too, was a favourite not only at the French, but also at the Russian and Danish Courts, the examples of his art at the Louvre suggest that he was but indifferently successful—from the artistic point of view—with his “official” portraits, like the portrait d’apparat of Marie Leczinska, Queen of Louis XV. (No. 867), or the affected Portrait of the Dauphin Louis at the age of ten (No. 868). On the other hand, when he was not weighed down by the importance of his task, he attained to a solidity of style, strength of character painting, and beauty of technique that place him at the head of the French portraitists of his period. Tocqué was apparently never in England, but such masterpieces from his brush as the Mme. Danger embroidering (No. 868a), and the supposed portrait of Mme. de Graffigny (No. 869), show distinct affinity with Allan Ramsay and Hogarth, with superadded French finesse and suavity.
PLATE XLII.—JEAN HONORÉ FRAGONARD
(1732–1806)
FRENCH SCHOOL
No. 291.—THE MUSIC LESSON
(La Leçon de Musique)
A fair-haired young girl in a low-cut white dress is seated, in profile towards the right, before a spinet. A youth, standing at her left, behind the instrument, is holding with his left hand the score, whilst his right is clasping the back of the girl’s chair. In the foreground a chair on which are a cat and a mandoline.
Painted in oil on canvas.
3 ft. 9½ in. × 3 ft. 11½ in. (1·10 × 1·20.)