Jean-Baptiste Perronneau

Probably Blondel d'Azincourt collection;
Jacques Doucet (1853-1929), Paris;
His sale, Paris, Galerie Georges Petit, 5 June 1912, lot 172, to Sarrazin (or Sarazin);
Alexandre Berthier, Prince de Wagram (1883-1918), Paris.

L. Vaillat and P. Ratouis de Limay, J-B. Perroneau, sa vie et son oeuvre, Paris 1909, pp. 43, 44 and 101-102, cat. no. 111, reproduced plate 20;
R.E.D[ell], "Art in France," The Burlington Magazine, vol. XXI, no. 112, July 1912, p. 238;
L. Vaillat and P. Ratouis de Limary, J-B. Perroneau, sa vie et son oeuvre, Paris and Brussels 1923, pp. 92, 94, 199, 224;
F. Chapon, Mystère et splendeurs de Jacque Doucet, 1853-1929, Paris 1984, pp. 91-92;
C.B. Bailey, "Conventions of the Eighteenth-Century Cabinet de tableaux: Blondel d'Azincourt's La première idée de la curiosité", in Art Bulletin, vol. LXIX, no. 3, September 1987, p. 434 (incorrectly dating the painting to 1776), reproduced p. 436, fig. 5;
G. Mazel, "Le Château Blondel à Garges-lès-Gonesse", in Bulletin de la Société d'Histoire et d'Archéologie de Gonesse et du Pays de France, no. 11, 1992, p. 44, reproduced p. 27;
F. Chapon, Jacques Doucet, ou l'art du mécénat, 1853-1929, Paris 1996, pp. 91-92;
F. Gétreau, Musée Jacquemart-André: Peintures et dessins de l'école française, Paris 2011, p. 133, under no. 28 (as Portrait présumé de Madame Blondel d'Azincourt), reproduced.

Overall the painting is in good condition. The canvas is stable with an old glue lining and the paint surface is secure and only very slightly pressed, though it retains good detail. There is slight craquelure in the background in the upper and right hand background, presumably caused by the stretcher though this is not distracting. There is minor frame abrasion in the lower right corner. Inspection under UV is impeded by a milky varnish, though there is very fine retouching the craquelure in the face, which is not visible to the naked eye and a small amount of strengthening in the upper left corner of the sitter's muff. The painting is ready to hang in its present state and is offered in a carved gilt wood frame.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In 1752 Madame Blondel d'Azincourt married Barthélémy Augustin Blondel d'Azincourt, a decorated lieutenant colonel of the war of the Austrian Succession and one of the most distinguished art collectors in 18th century Paris.  This painting was seperated from its pendant, depicting the sitter's husband, at the time of its sale in 1912 (see Provenance).  The couple were both refined connoisseurs and avid collectors and Blondel's activity as patron of the arts earned him associate membership at the Académie Royale de Peinture et du Sculpture and at the academy of Marseille.

In a smaller painting by the artist, now in the Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris, an unidentified lady is portrayed in an identical lace cap with a blue ribbon.¹

1.  F. Getrau, op. cit., p. 132.