Portrait of a Lady
Joseph Siffred Duplessis·c. 1787
Historical Context
Joseph Siffred Duplessis' Portrait of a Lady from around 1787 represents the refined portraiture of the late ancien régime, produced by one of the most respected portrait painters at the court of Louis XVI. Duplessis, who is best remembered for his iconic portrait of Benjamin Franklin, served French aristocratic and bourgeois patrons with dignified, psychologically sensitive likenesses. His work bridges the Rococo and Neoclassical traditions in French portraiture.
Technical Analysis
Duplessis' oil-on-canvas technique demonstrates the smooth, refined surface and natural coloring that distinguished his portraits from more flamboyant contemporaries. The careful observation of the sitter's features and the restrained palette reflect the transition from Rococo elegance to Neoclassical sobriety.
Provenance
Possibly Michel Nicholas Benisovich by1948 (died 1963) [acc. to note on the photocopy of the reverse of an old photograph from Wildenstein, in curatorial file]. Wildenstein Gallery, Paris [stock no. 50198]. Guy Charfnadel, Galerie Romane, Paris by 1975 [acc. to commission book 1970-85, in Heim Gallery records, Getty Research Institute]; Heim Gallery, London; sold to the Art Institute, 1975.
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