A Boy Holding a Garland of Flowers
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Oval oil painting in portrait orientation depicting an unknown young boy holding a garland of flowers and wearing the ribbon of the Order of the Holy Ghost. There is a rose bush at lower left.
This little boy wears a medal that identifies him as a French royal prince. The portrait's distinctive style is similar to others by Marianne Loir. The pose was also used by François Drouet (1727-1775) is his portrait of the Comte de Nogent.
The identity of the sitter is difficult to ascertain. It most likely is meant to represent either the Comte d'Artois, later Charles X (b. 1757) or the Comte de Provence, later Louis XVIII (b. 1755). There is a certain facial resemblance to other portraits of Provenace and Artois by artists such as Drouais, though the Waddesdon picture shows a boy with a far more lively expression. The boy is wearing the Cordon Bleu (the ribbon of the Order of the Holy Ghost).
The boy's pose is almost identical to Drouais's portrat of the Duc de Nogent as a young boy (Louvre, RF3953). A date of c. 1760-65 is feasible from the style of the dress and wig.
Marianne Loir came from a family of silversmiths and painters. Her brother Alexis also painted portraits. She trained with Jean-François de Troy (1679-1752) and may have accompanied him to study at the French Academy in Rome where he was director. She made portraits of the aristocracy including in the South of France. Her work demonstrates an attention to the luxurious fashions of the 18th century as well as the personalities of her sitters.
The signed late 18th-century frame is not original to the portrait as the inscription on the frame has been partly obliterated. The painting and the frame were probably put together in the late 19th century to make a more saleable piece.
Phillippa Plock, 2011
Dimensions (mm) / weight (mg)
672 x 570
Signature & date
not signed or dated
Marks
C. INFROIT
Maker's mark
verso, back left
Labels
(31AR?)
Label
verso back left
Fountain bedroom right of door entering
Label
verso on frame
87
Label
round sticker
Oval. Port of boy in pink jacket & wearing blue riband, 18th Century French School
Label
verso - at top
Fountain bedroom right of door entering
Label
verso - at bottom
Provenance
- Owned by Mme Camille Lelong before 1903; in her sale, Galerie Georges Petit, Paris, 11 - 15 May 1903, lot 514; purchased at the Lelong sale by Charles Davis (d.1914); acquired by Alice de Rothschild (b.1847, d.1922) probably from Charles Davis around 1903; inherited by her great-nephew James de Rothschild (b.1878, d.1957); inherited by his wife Dorothy de Rothschild (b.1895, d.1988); given to Waddesdon (National Trust) in 1971.
Collection
- Waddesdon (National Trust)
- Gift of Dorothy de Rothschild, 1971
Bibliography
- Geoffrey de Bellaigue, Anthony Blunt; Furniture Clocks and Gilt Bronzes: The James A de Rothschild Collection at Waddesdon Manor; 2 vols; Fribourg; Office du Livre; 1974; pp. 650-651, cat. no. 148, ill.; on frame
Related files
- Entry from (Bellaigue, 1974):, http://api.waddesdon.org.uk/docs/furniture/880.pdf
Subject person
- Comte Charles d' Artois (later Charles X of France), possibly pictured
- Louis Comte de Provence (later Louis XVIII of France), possibly pictured
Person as Subject
- Artois (later Charles X of France) Comte Charles d' (b.1757, d.1836)
- Louis Comte de Provence (later Louis XVIII of France) (b.1755, d.1824)
Subjects
- Figures/Child
- Portraits/Child
- Nature, Landscape & The Elements/Flowers
- Objects/Clothing & Personal Effects/Wig
- Objects/Clothing & Personal Effects/Coat
- Objects/Visual Arts/Needlework and Embroidery