Studio of Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun

Anonymous sale, Paris, Ader Picard & Tajan, 26 June 1990, lot 198;
Sébastien and Nancy de la Selle, Paris.

Canvas has been relined. Surface is clean. Overall the painting is in very good state with nice preservation of the paint surface and lovely retention of detail in the figure and costume. Examination under UV light reveals a 2-3 inch band of retouching all around the perimeter (possibly due to an old stretcher bar or from rubbing of an old frame?). There is a vertical line of retouching from the bottom of left ear down to her shoulder and some very small retouches, mostly in the form of inpainting of craquelure, in right side of hair, nostrils, lower right face and neck. A few other minor retouches can be seen in costume and fur. All of these have been well applied and there is no need for further work. Painting can be hung as is. Offered in a carved and gilt wood frame with stylized leaf pattern.
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.

As Marie Antoinette’s artist of choice, Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun was commissioned to paint a number of portraits of her royal patroness that were intended as decorations for royal palaces and as gifts of state. The portraits derived primarily from four compositions painted by Vigée Le Brun between 1778-1787.  Copies of these portraits were sometimes executed by the artist alone and sometimes with the help of her studio, although the extent of studio assistance can be difficult to discern.

One of these four portrait types includes the present likeness.  Here, the queen is depicted in half-length holding a book in her right hand.  She wears a red velvet coat trimmed with fur and delicate ruffles, a point lace collar, and an elegant silk-gauze cap.  While the prime version of this composition was commissioned in 1785 as a royal gift for the Comte de Choiseul-Gouffier, the French ambassador to Constantinople, the present work is an exceptional example of the royal portraits produced by Vigée Le Brun and her studio in the 1780s.¹

1. For a further discussion of the prime version, see J. Baillio, Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, exhibition catalogue, Fort Worth 1982, pp. 59-64, reproduced p. 62.  The prime version was sold as part of the Robert Polo Collection, Paris, Ader Picard & Tajan, 30 May 1988, lot 19.