Portrait of a noblewoman with her little dog

Oil on canvas

79 x 66 cm.

with frame 92 x 78 cm.

Qualitative portrait depicting an elegant noblewoman of French origin, presumably belonging to the wealthy court of Versailles during the reign of Louis XV; this work fully reflects the pictorial qualities as well as the refinement of the compositional style of the French painter Louis Michel van Loo (1707- 1771), one of the most significant portrait painters of his time, and for this reason in demand at the most noble European courts.

The work, taking up the traditional formula for portraits of members of the aristocracy, shows the effigy in a half-length pose, slightly turned to the right and looking directly at the viewer.

The woman, with a regal bearing, is here portrayed intent on completing her daily beauty ritual, wearing a cape during her make-up, which must have just been completed as pink powder is visible on her cheeks. This luxurious garment reveals a corset with a daring neckline, made of silk and lace, and a coral-coloured dress ending in wide jabote cuffs. Her hair is styled in the French fashion in a hairstyle that highlights her facial features.

Having finished her beauty ritual, the woman is intent on removing her cape with one hand, an elegant gesture that emphasises her noble pose.

At her side is her small pet dog, sitting on a blue velvet cushion with gold trim.

The canvas may have been made on the occasion of a wedding, elegantly celebrating the role of a member of the aristocracy. The presence of the pet depicted in her arms had in fact a precise meaning: the fidelity that is such a well-known characteristic of the dog, declared at the same time the virtues of the effigy.

Louis Michel van Loo (Toulon 1707- Paris 1771) was the son of the painter Jean Baptiste van Loo, with whom he studied in Rome and Turin. He attended the Paris Academy, where he won the first prize for painting in 1726. In 1728 he returned to Rome, where he met Francois Boucher. In 1732, passing through Turin, he returned to Paris. In 1737 van Loo became court painter in Madrid, succeeding Jean Ranc. In that city in 1752 he was one of the founding members of the Academy of Fine Arts. In 1753 he again returned to Paris, where he worked in the service of the royal court. In 1765, he was appointed director of the École Royale des Élèves Protegés at the Académie Royale.

The work is presented in an excellent state of preservation, with a gilded wooden frame.