Jean-Baptiste Perroneau(Paris, 1715 – Amsterdam, 1783) Portrait of a Lady Oil on oval canvas 60 x 50 cm - Framed 77 x 66 cm Work accompanied by expertise: Raffaelle Colace (Cremona), Ferdinando Arisi Reference bibliography: d'Arnoult, Dominique (2014) Jean-Baptiste Perronneau, c 1715-1783, a portraitist in Enlightenment Europe Excerpt from the expertise of Dr. Colace: This refined portrait of a lady is a perfect example of the style of Jean-Baptiste Perroneau, a highly talented French painter, whose finest works, just like this one, fall between the fifth and sixth decades of the eighteenth century. "Perroneaeu est plus naturellement coloriste que La Tour, il est, dans sa peinture de poussière colorée, tout plein de tons clairs, frais, presque humides": thus write about him, in La Maison d'un Artiste (1880), the brothers Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, who recognize in Perroneau's art points of contact with Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) and in general with English portraiture of the second half of the eighteenth century (cfr. D. Wakefield, French, Eighteenth-Century painting, London 1984, pp. 79-80). Compared to the magniloquence in the presentation of the characters and the technical virtuosity of the French ones, Perroneau's portraits are in fact distinguished by a certain sobriety and a less artificial 'pictorialism' as can be seen in the magnificent Portrait of Daniel Jousse kept in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans (Fig.1) or in that of Madame Chevoter (Fig.2) of 1751, also in Orléans, executed in pastel - a technique that the painter will prefer from the middle of the century (both illustrated in La Pittura francese, edited by Pierre Rosenberg, Milan 1999, II, p. 502, figs. 487, 488). The vague note of melancholy that can be read on Madame Chevotet's face reflects the sentimental and wandering character of the painter who almost always endows his subjects with intelligence, sensitivity, and something remote in the expression, as the distant gaze of our lady also tells us. Beyond the rendering of the character, it is important to underline, in this beautiful portrait, the pictorial harmony of the soft colors and the clear light that caresses the rosy face and affects the pearl of the fastening between the dark-colored hair which, in their foamy and evanescent rendering, dissolve into the delicately shaded background, while fluid and loose brushstrokes describe the wide neckline of the dress with a white rose in the center. The colors are those of the 'muted' palette typical of Perroneau, usually played on beige, brown, olive-green, blue and white tones spread through soft and interrupted brushstrokes on a neutral background with a result of natural delicacy, far from the artificial brightness and the pictorial resolution of a Nattier. It is precisely in the simple and unostentatious character that lies the value and charm of the portraits of the French artist, who does not surprise that he has been dedicating himself, from the mid-eighteenth century, to the more discreet technique of pastel, suited to his feeling. In pastel is, for example, in addition to the already mentioned Madame Chevotet's, the beautiful Portrait of a girl with a kitten (Fig.3), of 1743, kept at the National Gallery in London. Instead, the famous Portrait of Madame de Sorquainville (Fig.4), in oil, dated 1749, which certainly constitutes one of the greatest achievements of Perroneaut's art, is kept at the Louvre (ill. in Wakefield 1984, op. cit., p. 70, fig. 82). Then we can mention the portrait of Magdaleine Pinceloup de la Grange (Fig.5), of 1747, now kept at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The painting is sold complete with a pleasant gilded wooden frame and is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and descriptive iconographic card. We handle and organize the transport of purchased works, both for Italy and abroad, through professional and insured carriers. If you wish to see this or other works in person, we will be happy to welcome you to our new gallery in Riva del Garda, in Viale Giuseppe Canella 18. We are waiting for you! Contact us for any information or to organize a visit, we will be happy to answer you. Follow us also on: INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/