Antiquary & Expert CNES

This large oil on oval format canvas stages an elegant lady of court represented in the guise of Diane Chasseresse , allegory prized at the court of Louis XIV. The scene takes place in a wooded landscape, populated by winged putti: one of them tends a quiver in the main figure, in a delicately theatrical staging mixing love, power and hunting.

The porcelain face, the pink cheeks, the curly hairstyle in Versaillaise fashion, the fabrics embroidered with gold and lace, as well as the graceful posture are all characteristic features of the French school of the Grand Siècle , and in particular of the Circle of Pierre Mignard (1612–1695), favorite portraitist of the court.

The careful treatment of flesh and the richness of textiles evoke the allegorical portraits made for royal favorites such as Madame de Montespan , often represented in Diane to illustrate her seductive authority.

The style, the composition, and the iconography make it possible to attribute this painting to a workshop or circle of Pierre Mignard , active in the last years of the 17th century and the very beginning of the 18th. It is part of the tradition of the Versaillais allegorical portraits , where the myth is at the service of the social image.

Old canvas well tense on chassis. Crafts of use, some restorations visible in grazing light. Sculpted and gilded wooden frame, with some minor shortcomings consistent with age.

 Old decorative piece of a noble interior.

A precious work by its dimension, its subject and its quality of execution, emblematic of the Versaillaise aesthetic. She will delight any lover of allegorical portrait, historical female figures and court art under Louis XIV.