Nicolas de Largillierre Paris 1656 - 1746

We are grateful to Dominique Brême for confirming the attribution to Largillierre and for providing information on the sitter.

Louise-Madeleine Bertin was the daughter of Bruno-Maximilien Bertin (1685-1756), seigneur of Vaugien and councilman at the Paris Parliament, and of Marie-Denise Pajot whom he married in 1714.  In 1735, Louise-Madeleine married Charles-Jean-Pierre de Barentin (1705-1763), count of Montchal, viscount of la Mothe and seigneur of Noyen-sur-Seine.  He was the son of Charles-Honoré de Barentin and Marie-Reine de Montchal, from whom he took his name and family coat-of-arms.  He was Maître de camp of the cavalry, guidon of the English Gendarmes company, first cornet of the Light-Horsmen of the Queen and, in 1745, became brigadier of the King’s Army.  The Countess of Montchal, depicted here at twenty at the time of her marriage, died on the scaffold in 1793 during the Terror.

Largillierre painted other members of the Montchal and Bertin families.  There is a pendant portrait to the present lot of the count of Montchal¹ , as well as a portrait of  Marie-Denise Bertin and her son, Balthazar-Bruno, the mother and brother of the countess of Montchal (1736)².  Between 1700 and 1710, Largillierre had also painted Charles-Honoré de Barentin and his wife, Marie-Reine de Montchal, in-laws of the sitter.

1  Oil on canvas, 55 ¼ by 41 ½ in., location unknown.

2  Oil on canvas, 55 ¼ by 41 ½ in., private collection, France.