MASP

Sent to Paris to study in the studio of painter Jean‑Baptiste Pierre (1714-1789), he married the daughter of the enamel miniaturist Antoine Reverend and continued the activity of his father-in-law for some time. In 1776, he traveled to London, where he most likely saw works by portraitists such as Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788). Back in Paris, he became outstanding as a miniaturist and portrait painter. He was admitted to the Académie Royale in 1785, and the following year was appointed as the king’s painter. But the changes in taste brought about by the Revolution left the artist at the fringe of the Paris art world. Portrait of a Lady with a Book by a Fountain (c. 1785) exemplifies the taste of the time for portraiture inserted in the landscape, with straightforward representation of distinction and social privilege — the book indicates education, and the white skin, little exposed to the sun, is a symptom of idleness, both symbols of the dominant classes of that era.

— MASP Curatorial Team, 2017

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By unknown authorship
The work Portrait of a Lady with a Book by a Fountain joins the Enlightenment concept of the feminine portrait with literary attributes; a book is in evidence and the setting is pastoral.

— Unknown authorship, 1998

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