SAMUEL BERNARD (1615-1687)

Portrait miniature of a lady of the French court, wearing a blue dress with gold braid and lace border, a large pearl and diamond jewel on her shoulder, with light-coloured hair

circa 1676
Watercolour and bodycolour on vellum
Oval, 35 mm (1 ³/₈ in) high
Gilt metal frame with scroll top

£1,000

This miniature was historically part of a set of portraits by French artist Samuel Bernard. Though the sitter remains unidentified, the set was recorded as a group of portraits of members of the court of Louis XIV, and included portraits of the King, Queen Maria Theresa of Austria, and the First Minister of State, Jean-Baptiste Colbert. We can assume that the sitter here was an integral part of the King’s close circle.

It should be noted that the woman portrayed here bears close resemblance to a sitter in a portrait by Jean Petitot (1607-1691), in the Louvre[1]. Given that both Petitot and Bernard were close in age and came from staunch Protestant (Huguenot) backgrounds, it is likely that the two men knew each other. It is therefore perhaps no surprise that they enjoyed the same circles of patronage.

Bernard himself, a student of both Simon Vouet and the miniaturist Alexandre Du Guernier, was one of the founders of the academy of painters and sculptors in Paris in 1648, where he became professor in 1655. A landscape and a miniature with a religious subject by Bernard were exhibited at the Salon of 1673. He remained there for thirty-three years before his expulsion on religious grounds in 1681. In 1685, and only after he had converted to Catholicism, he was allowed to re-enter the academy. Bernard was not only known for painting but also for his engravings. A book about the life of Bernard and his children was published in 1914 by a member of the family who previously owned this set of miniatures, Elisabeth, Duchess of Clermont[2].



[1] Inventory number INV35691-recto

[2] E. Clermont-Tonnerre, Histoire de Samuel Bernard et de ses enfants, 1914.
 
By descent within the artist's family to Gaspard-Louis, Duke of Clermont-Tonnerre (d. 1889);
By family descent until Professor Théophile Alajouanine (d. 1980);
His executor's sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 30 March 1981, lot 37;
with Edwin Bucher, Trogen;
From whom purchased by Erika Pohl-Ströher.
Evreux, 1864;
Paris, Exposition Universelle, 1867.

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Portrait miniature of a lady of the French court, wearing a blue dress with gold braid and lace border, a large pearl and diamond jewel on her shoulder, with light-coloured hair

SAMUEL BERNARD

(1615-1687)

Portrait miniature of a lady of the French court, wearing a blue dress with gold braid and lace border, a large pearl and diamond jewel on her shoulder, with light-coloured hair

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The item added to cart contains materials from endangered or protected species. The Limner Company cannot arrange for the delivery of artworks containing ivory, tortoiseshell, or mother of pearl outside of the UK due to import restrictions. The buyer or designated agent may collect the property in the country of sale.

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Worldwide shipping is included in all prices.

The Limner Company does not accept any responsibility for import duty, this is to be paid by the buyer.

See Section 7.5 in Terms & Conditions for information on export/import regulations. Please contact us to discuss shipping options. Some stock items contain materials from endangered species which are governed by CITES regulations and will require a permit to export outside of Great Britain. If a certificate of export is required then this will be the responsibility of and paid for by the buyer.

See Section 7.5 in Terms & Conditions for information on export/import regulations.

Please contact us to discuss shipping options.

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