HUBERT DROUAIS, DIT DROUAIS PERE (ROUEN 1699... - Lot 171

Lot n° 171

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3500 - 4000 EUR

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Result : 5 125EUR

HUBERT DROUAIS, DIT DROUAIS PERE (ROUEN 1699... - Lot 171 - Osenat

HUBERT DROUAIS, DIT DROUAIS PERE (ROUEN 1699 - 1767) " Portrait in bust of Etienne Letexien de Mennetou (1670-173à la cape bleue " Pastel on paper marouflé on canvas 52 x 42.5 cm " The number of portraits in pastel that he painted is very large, one admires in addition those of the Pelissier, Gaussin and Canargo ladies. He also painted some in oil and small" (Pahin de la Blancherie - Essay of an authentic picture of the painters of the French school 1783). Often confused with his son, François-Hubert Drouais, who was also a renowned portraitist, the work of Hubert Drouais is still largely unknown today, due to a lack of real study of his work by art historians. Born in Rouen, the young artist went to study in Paris with the painter François de Troy who remained his master until his death in 1730. Received at the Academy the same year with the portraits of the painter Joseph Christophe and the sculptor Robert le Lorrain, Hubert Drouais quickly found his clientele among the nobility and the Parisian upper class. The portraits of young prominent actresses of the French comedy, Mmes Pelissier, Gaussin and Canargo were so successful that they ensured his fame among the good society of the time. He collaborated with the greatest portraitists of his time, notably Jean-Baptiste Van Loo, Jean-Baptiste Oudry and Jean-Marc Nattier. Drouais was particularly fond of miniatures, but he was also very skilled in pastel portraits, as we can see from the booklet of the 1746 salon where he exhibited no less than seven pastels. A label on the reverse side allows us to identify the model of our portrait as Etienne Letexier de Mennetou (1670-1735), who held many important positions in the administration: he was a counsellor-secretary of the King in 1729, director general of the farms, and receiver general of finances in Orleans. Like the rising French bourgeoisie, Etienne Letexier's financial power required social legitimacy from the aristocracy. Father of three children, he married his offspring to influential families of the French 18th century nobility: among his granddaughters we find the Marquise du Moustier and the Countess de Durfort. The choice of a fashionable artist like Hubert Drouais is therefore not insignificant. It serves the social recognition of his model. The identification of the model allows us to date our pastel before 1735, the date of death of Etienne Letexier. The costume and the headdress with cadenettes confirm this dating in the first half of the 18th century. The fine lace of the shirt that protrudes from the wrist and the fur collar of the suit are the only, but discreet, concessions to luxury in this deliberately sober representation of a man in full possession of his power. The only fantasy is in the azure blue velvet cape in which Etienne Letexier wraps himself, and perhaps also in the mischievous expression with which he seems to stare at us. This round and benevolent face is one of the characteristics of the portraits painted by Hubert Drouais. This laughing expression can be found in many of the portraits attributed to him, such as the Portrait of an Elderly Lady Holding a Book (sold at the Jacque Doucet sale in 1912 under no. 144). More recently, The Presumed Portrait of the Marquis d'Angervilliers, sold in Berlin (Bassenge Sale of 30/11/12, lot n°6104) looks at the viewer with the same amused expression, wrapped in a mauve velvet cape. We thank Mr. Neil Jeffares for suggesting the attribution of our pastel. Bibliography : -P. RATOUIS DE LIMAY, Le pastel en France au XVIIIe siècle, Baudinière, Paris 1946 -C.FAVRE-JEJEUNE, Les secrétaires du Roi de la grande chancellerie de France, Sedopols, 1986, Tome 2, p. 886-887, -H. de JOUGLA DE MORENAS, Grand armorial de France -Gazette des Beaux Arts, " Les trois Drouais " by C. Gabillot, Tome XXXIV, year 1905, p. 177 to 194, 288 to 298 and 384 to 400 , Tome XXXV, year 1906, p. 155 to 174 and p. 246 to 258 -N. LEMOINE BOUCHARD, Les miniatures, Paris, 2008

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HUBERT DROUAIS, DIT DROUAIS PERE (ROUEN 1699... - Lot 171 - Osenat

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