Jean-Marc Nattier (Parigi 1685 – 1776), Scuola di

School of Jean-Marc Nattier (Paris 1685 – Paris 1776) Portrait of Princess Henriette Anne of France as Flora (Versailles, 1727 – Versailles, 1752) daughter of Louis XV (1727-1752) French Master, 18th-19th Century Oil on canvas (95 x 128 cm - framed 107 x 141 cm) Complete details of the artwork (click HERE) During the Rococo period, it became fashionable for the most influential noblewomen of France to be portrayed as goddesses, and the French painter Jean-Marc Nattier (1685-1766) was perhaps the first to launch it, thanks to paintings imbued with elegance and charm, just like the one he created for Princess Henriette Anne of France, portrayed as Flora, Roman goddess of spring. Eldest daughter of King Louis XV of France and his consort Maria Leszczynska, she was the twin of Louise Élisabeth of France, and later became known as Madame Henriette. His painting was commissioned to the painter Jean-Marc Nattier in 1742, with the princess only fifteen years old, intended for the queen's private apartments in Versailles (see image in the details), where it is still located today (MV 3818), and belongs to the famous series of portraits of the daughters of Louis XV. A painting that portrayed the king's daughter in an unusual pose, without opulent clothes and jewels, but surrounded only by flowers, without the typical pose of representation, was a pictorial novelty that immediately received great appreciation. This, as well as the other allegorical-mythological portraits that followed, gave the painter a decade of great Parisian successes, as all the ladies of the court of King Louis XV wished to see their image in classical mythological dresses as modern divinities. The figure of the girl is integrated into the poetic world of Olympus: the princess as Flora who composes a wreath of flowers, lying on a rock and surrounded by nature, is simply dressed in a white dress embellished with a blue drape, wrapped in a cloudy sky with pink reflections. In the distance, on a conveniently placed slope, a city appears in the distance. The work was followed by a significant series of replicas, including naturally the one destined for the king's bedroom at the castle of Choisy (1745, Versailles, MV 4457), then the one kept at the Louvre (https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010054854), or the one in Florence at the Uffizi Museum. Another version, now disappeared, from the Rothschild collection in Paris, was precisely the copy that appeared in the collection of the Duke of Orléans at the Palais-Royal in 1826. Regarding the painting we propose, it is a precious replica, datable between the 18th and 19th centuries, which takes up its quality and definition of details. It exposes in full the formal and aesthetic elegance required by the master's atelier for the demanding aristocratic clientele. Note the meticulous rendering of the features of the face and the sharpness of the contours highlighted by the light, both in the details of the face and in the reflections of the armor, rendered with great skill. The work is presented in a good state of conservation, with a gilded wooden frame. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: The work is sold with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic sheet. We take care of and organize the transport of purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. It is also possible to see the painting in the gallery in Riva del Garda, we will be happy to welcome you to show you our collection of works. Contact us, without obligation, for any additional information. Follow us also on: https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/