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Attributed to Antoine Pesne
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Description
Property from a New York Private Collection
Attributed to Antoine Pesne
Paris 1683 - 1757 Berlin
Portrait of a lady, half-length, in a blue and white dress and lace collar
oil on canvas
canvas: 30 ⅜ by 25 ⅛ in.; 77.2 by 63.8 cm.
framed: 35 by 30 in.; 88.9 by 76.2 cm.
Provenance
By descent in the family of the present owner for at least fifty years. Catalogue note
Admired for his painterly rococo sensibilities and rich use of color, Antoine Pesne achieved unrivaled success as a portraitist for the Prussian court of the siècle des lumières. The French-born artist was summoned to Berlin in 1710 by King Frederick I and appointed official court painter shortly thereafter, quickly establishing a lofty reputation among the leading aristocracy. His tremendous success was documented by Voltaire, who recorded the following praises of King Frederick II:
Quel spectacle étonnant vient de frapper mes yeux! /Cher Pesne, ton pinceau t'égale au rang des dieux!
(What an amazing sight strikes my eyes! /Dear Pesne, your brush makes you equal in rank to the gods!).
Dressed in a blue satin gown enriched with lace, pearls, and floral details, the elegant sitter in this portrait was probably a member of the Prussian court. A related portrait by Anna Rosina Lisiewska (de Gasc), one of Pesne's students, depicts a different sitter wearing the same distinctive lace collar and gown, though in a purple fabric rather than blue.1 Lisiewska, who was later appointed court painter herself, often copied Pesne's works with occasional modifications from her early career into the 1750s.
1 Anna Rosina Lisiewska (de Gasc), Portrait of a lady in a lavender dress. Warsaw, National Museum, inv. no. 75532 MNW.
Attributed to Antoine Pesne
Paris 1683 - 1757 Berlin
Portrait of a lady, half-length, in a blue and white dress and lace collar
oil on canvas
canvas: 30 ⅜ by 25 ⅛ in.; 77.2 by 63.8 cm.
framed: 35 by 30 in.; 88.9 by 76.2 cm.
Provenance
By descent in the family of the present owner for at least fifty years. Catalogue note
Admired for his painterly rococo sensibilities and rich use of color, Antoine Pesne achieved unrivaled success as a portraitist for the Prussian court of the siècle des lumières. The French-born artist was summoned to Berlin in 1710 by King Frederick I and appointed official court painter shortly thereafter, quickly establishing a lofty reputation among the leading aristocracy. His tremendous success was documented by Voltaire, who recorded the following praises of King Frederick II:
Quel spectacle étonnant vient de frapper mes yeux! /Cher Pesne, ton pinceau t'égale au rang des dieux!
(What an amazing sight strikes my eyes! /Dear Pesne, your brush makes you equal in rank to the gods!).
Dressed in a blue satin gown enriched with lace, pearls, and floral details, the elegant sitter in this portrait was probably a member of the Prussian court. A related portrait by Anna Rosina Lisiewska (de Gasc), one of Pesne's students, depicts a different sitter wearing the same distinctive lace collar and gown, though in a purple fabric rather than blue.1 Lisiewska, who was later appointed court painter herself, often copied Pesne's works with occasional modifications from her early career into the 1750s.
1 Anna Rosina Lisiewska (de Gasc), Portrait of a lady in a lavender dress. Warsaw, National Museum, inv. no. 75532 MNW.
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Property from a New York Private Collection
Attributed to Antoine Pesne
Paris 1683 - 1757 Berlin
Portrait of a lady, half-length, in a blue and white dress and lace collar
oil on canvas
canvas: 30 ⅜ by 25 ⅛ in.; 77.2 by 63.8 cm.
framed: 35 by 30 in.; 88.9 by 76.2 cm.
Provenance
By descent in the family of the present owner for at least fifty years. Catalogue note
Admired for his painterly rococo sensibilities and rich use of color, Antoine Pesne achieved unrivaled success as a portraitist for the Prussian court of the siècle des lumières. The French-born artist was summoned to Berlin in 1710 by King Frederick I and appointed official court painter shortly thereafter, quickly establishing a lofty reputation among the leading aristocracy. His tremendous success was documented by Voltaire, who recorded the following praises of King Frederick II:
Quel spectacle étonnant vient de frapper mes yeux! /Cher Pesne, ton pinceau t'égale au rang des dieux!
(What an amazing sight strikes my eyes! /Dear Pesne, your brush makes you equal in rank to the gods!).
Dressed in a blue satin gown enriched with lace, pearls, and floral details, the elegant sitter in this portrait was probably a member of the Prussian court. A related portrait by Anna Rosina Lisiewska (de Gasc), one of Pesne's students, depicts a different sitter wearing the same distinctive lace collar and gown, though in a purple fabric rather than blue.1 Lisiewska, who was later appointed court painter herself, often copied Pesne's works with occasional modifications from her early career into the 1750s.
1 Anna Rosina Lisiewska (de Gasc), Portrait of a lady in a lavender dress. Warsaw, National Museum, inv. no. 75532 MNW.
Attributed to Antoine Pesne
Paris 1683 - 1757 Berlin
Portrait of a lady, half-length, in a blue and white dress and lace collar
oil on canvas
canvas: 30 ⅜ by 25 ⅛ in.; 77.2 by 63.8 cm.
framed: 35 by 30 in.; 88.9 by 76.2 cm.
Provenance
By descent in the family of the present owner for at least fifty years. Catalogue note
Admired for his painterly rococo sensibilities and rich use of color, Antoine Pesne achieved unrivaled success as a portraitist for the Prussian court of the siècle des lumières. The French-born artist was summoned to Berlin in 1710 by King Frederick I and appointed official court painter shortly thereafter, quickly establishing a lofty reputation among the leading aristocracy. His tremendous success was documented by Voltaire, who recorded the following praises of King Frederick II:
Quel spectacle étonnant vient de frapper mes yeux! /Cher Pesne, ton pinceau t'égale au rang des dieux!
(What an amazing sight strikes my eyes! /Dear Pesne, your brush makes you equal in rank to the gods!).
Dressed in a blue satin gown enriched with lace, pearls, and floral details, the elegant sitter in this portrait was probably a member of the Prussian court. A related portrait by Anna Rosina Lisiewska (de Gasc), one of Pesne's students, depicts a different sitter wearing the same distinctive lace collar and gown, though in a purple fabric rather than blue.1 Lisiewska, who was later appointed court painter herself, often copied Pesne's works with occasional modifications from her early career into the 1750s.
1 Anna Rosina Lisiewska (de Gasc), Portrait of a lady in a lavender dress. Warsaw, National Museum, inv. no. 75532 MNW.
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