Femme en Bergère by Largillierre 18th c.

Femme, Bergère, Largillierre, Portrait, Rococo, France, Art,
Femme en Bergère (1710-1712) by Nicolas de Largillierre

Portrait of a woman as Astrée, probably Mary Josephine Drummond, Condesa de Castelblanco.

Nicolas de Largillierre 1656-1746. Collection de M. H. Deutsch (de la Meurthe).

Femme en Bergère (1710-1712).

As a counterpoint, in the Louis XIV furniture room, to Rigaud’s President Gaspard de Gaeïdan, this woman painted by Largillière appears in a park, dressed as a shepherdess.

Everything here is of a rare seduction. The presentation is supremely aristocratic, but already the nobility of the 17th century is tempered with a playful, fine grace that reveals the spirit of the 18th century. The drawing is carried out with the greatest care, right down to the context of the fabrics.

And the gifts of a great colourist are evident in the interplay of these greys and reds, sometimes powerful and sometimes subtle, in which Largillière has always strongly marked his personality. And how the solid harmony of the whole is established by broad, skilful strokes! Never seeking
Largillière painted clearly and in full light.

PORTRAIT

Femme en Bergère

PAR LARGILLIÈRE, 1656-1746 Collection de M. H. Deutsch (de la Meurthe).

En pendant, dans la salle de mobilier Louis XIV, au Président Gaspard de Gaeïdan de Rigaud, cette femme qu’a peinte Largillière apparaît, dans un parc, costumée en bergère.

Ici tout est d’une séduction rare. La présentation est souverainement aristocratique, mais déjà la noblesse du xvnftsiècle s’y tempère d’une grâce enjouée et fine, où l’esprit du xviii” siècle se perçoit. Le dessin est mené avec la plus grande sûreté de main jusque dans la contexture des étoffes.

Et les dons d’un grand coloriste s’affirment dans le jeu de ces gris et de ces rouges, tantôt puissants et tantôt subtils, par où Largillière a toujours marqué fortement sa personnalité. Et comme la solide harmonie de l’ensemble s’établit par touches larges et savantes! Ne cherchant jamais le clair-obscur, ni les artifices des contrastes, Largillière peignait clairement et en pleine lumière.

Source: L’exposition rétrospective de l’art décoratif français by Gaston Migeon (1861-1930); Emile Molinier (1857-1906). Paris: Goupil & cie, 1901.

Illustration, damasks, ornament
Note:  Fin de siècle illustration by Raphael Kirchner

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Thoughout the ages, women's breasts have been subjected to the endless whims of fashion. From the ancient Greeks to Mae West and Madonna, this light-hearted book charts the changing shapes of female beauty. The elegant and amusing images - including fashion drawings, paintings, photographs, and film stills - illustrate the often surprising history of the garments women have worn for support - and seduction.


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